Finding Again
by Andrew Smithers
Summary: Something has happened to Artemis, and almost everybody believes him dead. However, Holly knows better. Will she find a way to rescue the man she loves? This is my first ever fanfic, so feel free to use constructive criticism. Set after Atlantis Complex/ beginning of TLG. Rated T for future possible violence. UPDATE Chapter 20: None of us wanted Commander Root dead, did we?
1. The News

**(A/N So, you have decided to enter my world... be prepared. The song I chose for this chapter is High Hopes by Panic! At the Disco, because I was listening to that song when I had the idea to write this. I am going to set up a review system right now: 5 reviews = next chapter. Enjoy!)**

 **(Disclaimer: I don't own High Hopes or the original Artemis Fowl series. Wish I did though)**

 **-Introduction-**

Artemis Fowl, 18 year old genius, was asleep in his bed when a loud crash resounded through his room, instantly waking him. Through the busted out wall, Artemis saw a group of blurry men. One of them pointed at him and he felt a sharp pain in his neck. _D'Arvit,_ he thought, then passed out as the sedatives in the dart overcame him.

 **-Holly Short; Haven, 2 weeks later-**

Captain Holly Short, First female elf to ever join the LEP recon, was heartbroken. She had just been told that her best friend was dead. Shot in the head by a megalomaniacal pixie named Opal Koboi.

"No," she said numbly, dropping the handheld communicator. "No, no, no," she said, sobbing now. "Are you sure it's him, Foaly? And not some lookalike?"

"It's him, Holly. I'm sorry, DNA tests confirmed it." the centaur's voice came through the communicator. "They're having a funeral this Saturday, do you want to go?"

"I do, but-" she started.

"No 'buts', Holly. I'll take care of all the paperwork. All I need is a yes or no. Do you want to go to the funeral or not?"

Holly sighed. "Yes."

"Consider it done, then. Because it is. In fact, if you want to go right now, that would be fine. Spend a night at the Manor. That's where they're having the funeral, by the way." Foaly sounded proud of himself in spite of everything.

"No, I'd rather not spend a night in the same house as my dead best friend," she said, "I'm going to take the rest of the day off."

"SHORT! MY OFFICE! NOW!" That was one of the interesting things about Commander Kelp. He never needed to use the intercom, even if the fairy he needed was across the compound.

"You'd better see what he needs first, though," said Foaly, stating the obvious.

Trouble Kelp's office was horribly disorganized. It made Holly sick every time she entered it, and this time was no exception.

"I don't have time for formalities, so I'm going to get straight to the point. Artemis Fowl is-"

"Dead, I know," Holly interrupted, "Foaly just told me and got me a visa for the funeral."

"D'Arvit, when will that centaur learn to keep his mouth shut?"

"Does Butler know?"

"He does, Ms. Fowl told us. Apparently his body just turned up on their doorstep. Butler was devastated, he sounded ready to rip off that diamond tattoo of his."

"That's horrible! When I get my hands on Opal, I swear I will rip out her-"

"That's enough, Captain. Why don't you go home and cope with your loss? I'll finish your work for you."

"Thanks, Commander, I will." Holly flew home, where now the tears flowed unchecked. Her last thought before she cried herself to sleep was, _at least I get to see him one last time._

 **-Fowl Manor, Saturday-**

Holly sat, invisible, on Butler's broad shoulder, next to an ornate ebony coffin in the entry hall of Fowl Manor. He was gently sobbing, something she had never seen him do before. He knew she was there, of course. Not even Butler could simply dismiss forty pounds suddenly landing on his shoulder.

"I feel horrible," he said, "I should have been there to help. I could've-"

"Butler," Holly interrupted, "I don't blame you. None of us saw that coming. I doubt even Opal thought is was going to go that well for her. I don't blame you for anything."

"Thanks, Holly. there's three people who don't blame me. The other two are his parents." Butler sighed, looking down at the body of his former charge. They were both silent for several minutes.

"Butler?" asked Holly.

"Yes?"

"Can you put me on the table next to the coffin? I want to see Artemis' eyes one last time."

"Yes, I can do that," the big bodyguard replied. But as Butler put Holly on the table, she grew worried. What would she see when she opened his eyes? Would she see the warmth she had grown to love, or would she see a blue and hazel eye, both as cold as the day she had met him? When she pulled back his eyelids, however, she saw something entirely unexpected.

As she looked into the eyes of the man she loved, two deep, empty blue eyes stared at the ceiling above them. Holly Short fainted right then and there.

 **( PM me please! I need ideas!)**


	2. Realization

**(A/N Sooo… I guess the 5 reviews thing isn't going to work for a while, so I'll just post a chapter every 5 reviews, OR, every Tuesday, whichever comes first. If I get 5 reviews on Tuesday, even right after I've posted a chapter (make it happen guys), I'll post another one.)**

 **(DISCLAIMER: Eoin Colfer owns Artemis Fowl. I only own the plotline.)**

-Artemis, Unknown Location, same time-

Artemis woke up in his cell and yelled "D'Arvit! Let me go, you warty, slimy swear toad!" every day and for 17 days, there was no response. Today was different. Before he had even finished the word "slimy", two men crashed through the door and grabbed Artemis roughly by the arms. One was large and hairy, reminding him of what Butler looked like when Artemis had brought Hybras back from limbo, and the other one reminded him of a shaved ape.

"where are you taking me?" he asked, deceptively calm.

The hairy one slapped him on the back of his head. "next time it's on the ear, and harder." The bald one said nothing. through the temporary blur of pain, Artemis saw a green blob on one of the walls. _if that's what I think it is... I'm in trouble_. His captors steered him into a room that looked like a cross between Foaly's office and a human lab. The bald man pushed him into a dentist's chair, and even as he handcuffed Artemis to the chair, his eyes screamed _help me_! Artemis looked closer and saw that the man's pupils were jagged to the point to where they resembled inverted geodes. _this man has been mesmerized so many times, he probably doesn't even remember his own name anymore_ , Artemis thought. Baldy finished and stood next to his partner in a position that told Artemis that this man was very, very scared. The reason then came in the door and strode over to Artemis' chair.

"Artemis. Ready to forget everything you've ever known?" said Opal Koboi.

-Holly; Artemis' room, 30 minutes later-

Holly awoke on Artemis' bed with Butler sitting in a chair next to her. She was initially confused, and asked why Butler had stayed with her while she was out.

"Simple," he said, "I have chosen you as my new charge. Whenever you are on the surface, it is my responsibility to keep you safe and unseen from the general population."

Holly was touched by the care that this man had for her, even if he did disguise it as responsibility. Then she realized why she was laying in Artemis' bed in the first place.

"Artemis!" she shouted. "He's still alive!"

Butler jumped. He hadn't been expecting her to do that, but he recovered quickly. "He can't be. You saw him, remember?"

"The body in the coffin, I don't know whose it is, but it's not Arty's. His eyes are-"

"Arty?" Butler inquired. "I was unaware you still had feelings for him."

"I did, and I still do. Listen, Domovoi," Butler flinched at the sound of his first name. Almost nobody knew it, and those who did rarely used it unless they were very, very serious.

"Artemis' eyes are blue and hazel, like mine. The Artemis in the coffin, both his eyes are blue, which makes me think that the body in the coffin is a clone, and the real Artemis is being held somewhere by Opal Koboi. There is still hope, Butler."

"I hope you're right, for all our sakes." was the bodyguard's only reply.

-Holly; Foaly's office, that night-

"You mean to tell me," said Trouble Kelp angrily at Holly, "That the Fowl boy is still alive?"

"Yes sir. At least, I have a very good theory."

"Let's hear it then," said Foaly.

Holly told them everything she had told Butler, minus the "Domovoi" and "Arty" parts. She didn't need Trouble to have more proof that she had feelings for a mud man. When she had finished, Foaly said, "You know commander, she has a good point. He was apparently shot by Opal Koboi, it would have made sense for her to shoot the clone instead of the original."

The Commander wasn't convinced. "why do you even care? He's a mud man, for Frond's sake! the very species we vowed to stay away from!" full realization suddenly dawned on him and he sneered at Holly. "you love him, don't you? well guess what? you're too SHORT, Short! **(A/N sorry not sorry)** you two would never work, even if he was still alive!"

Foaly never had time to warn the commander that he had made a big mistake before Holly's fist flew at him with all the force of an emotional, bullied woman and hit him square in the jaw, instantly breaking it into at least seven pieces, each of them causing more damage as they sliced through thin elfin flesh.

"You are the most insensitive wart I have ever met!" she screamed. "I HATE YOU! And if I have to quit and go rogue to find the man I love, you can't stop me!" And with that, she stormed out of the room, leaving Kelp and Foaly stunned, though in different ways. As she left, she thought she heard Foaly laugh, "Well, I hope you learned your lesson, Commander."

 **(A/N - I hope you liked Chapter 2! Constructive criticism is welcome, this is my first fanfic, after all. Remember to review for more, unless you'd rather wait a week...)**


	3. 2 Years Later

**(A/N: More update changes: Every other day, I will be posting a chapter. Once I run out of chapters, I will post them whenever I complete them.**

 **Also, I got the idea for the Holly in the head from "The Plan" by Fluffy Nabs. Check it out, it's a great read!)**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Artemis Fowl. Eoin Colfer does.**

-Narrator; 2 years later-

Trouble Kelp is no longer Commander, he has been replaced by Grub Kelp, a much more compassionate elf, and therefore a better leader than Trouble could ever dream of being. Holly is now much more comfortable in the LEP than she was under Trouble's command, and as for Artemis, well, read on and find out!

-Artemis' last shred of personality; deep inside his consciousness-

"Wake up, Artemis," said a familiar voice.

"uurgh," Artemis replied groggily.

"Artemis! Wake up!" the voice said again.

Artemis shot awake. He had been laying on a soft bed. _Weird_ , he thought. The bed Opal had given him was hard and uncomfortable.

"where am I?" he asked, his vision still blurry from sleep, "Who are you?"

"you don't remember me? I am offended. I took control of our body once, remember?" That voice was definitely familiar. It sounded like his own.

"Sorry, I don't remember."

"The name's Orion!" the man exclaimed. "Finally, after 2 years, I have some company other than the sleeping maiden in the other room, and he doesn't even remember me! Congratulations, by the way, in making it all the way back into your consciousness. I was getting _so_ bored at watching you plant markers all day, every day."

"wait, what?" Artemis asked.

"You plant markers, then 3 days later, Opal takes somebody from there."

"No, the maiden. Who's the sleeping maiden?" Artemis was getting annoyed at this Orion guy.

"Oh, Holly Short. You had a big thing for her before Opal kidnapped you."

"Opal kidnapped me?" Artemis said disbelievingly. "She told me that I applied for this! Also, who's Holly?"

"Oh no," Orion looked genuinely terrified. "They took your memories too! Come on, maybe seeing her will help you remember."

Artemis and Orion walked to the other room, which seemed to be a control room. There were screens all along one wall, and two of them showed a man talking to them. He was Artemis' boss, giving him instructions for the day. In the corner was a small bed with an even smaller girl on it.

"Holly Short is a child? Why would I have a 'thing' for a child?" Artemis was disgusted.

"The fair maiden is no 'child'. She is, in fact, older than you by far."

As Artemis pulled back the covers on the bed, it was clear that this Holly Short was indeed not a child. Her stature was that of a young woman, although Artemis had a feeling that she was actually much older than she looked.

"Have you tried to wake her up?" Artemis asked tentatively.

"Yes, I've tried all sorts of things. I've even kissed her, but to no avail." Orion was suddenly struck with an idea. "What if _you_ kissed her? Then maybe she would respond."

Artemis looked at the sleeping form in front of him. _Holly really is pretty_ , he thought. _Maybe it won't be so hard to kiss her_. So that's exactly what he did. As their lips connected, Artemis felt a feeling that he had never in his existing memory had felt before. _Love_ , he thought, though he didn't know how he knew. He stepped away and for a moment nothing happened. Then suddenly, Holly's eyes snapped open, releasing a flood of memories into Artemis' head. He keeled over from the amount and intensity of the memories, and if it weren't for Orion, he would have fallen on the floor. As soon as Artemis stopped shaking, he looked into Holly's mismatched eyes, but instead of seeing himself in the reflection, he saw a desk.

-Holly Short, LEP Headquarters, same time-

"Captain Short, please report to Foaly's office immediately." Grub Kelp's voice crackled from the intercom. "It's important."

Holly got up from her desk and walked slowly to Foaly's office. Ever since Artemis had been kidnapped and allegedly killed, she had lost almost all of her normal energy. She plopped herself into the desk that Foaly had set up in the corner of the room, these meetings the sole reason it was there. It was a normal rectangular table, with two Elf sized chairs, a centaur designed chair, and a mud man chair, in memory of Artemis Fowl. Holly's idea, of course.

Commander Kelp looked at his carefully crafted explanation, sighed, and threw it away. Then he looked straight at Holly. "I don't know how to say this any other way, Holly. Artemis has been sighted by our spies in London."

Holly was instantly attentive at this news. "What was he doing?" she asked.

"We don't know, our spies report that he came, put something down, and left. Three days later, a man was kidnapped there. The same thing happened in Rome, too. Artemis placed something, three days later, someone's kidnapped."

"what did he put down?" Holly said, rejuvenated that Artemis was, in fact, still alive.

"That's why we called you, we were hoping you could tell us," Foaly said, bringing up a picture. The picture was of a long tube, with red spots at each end.

"I recognize that!" Holly exclaimed, "That's a radioactive marker! Opal uses those whenever she needs something so even if they're removed, they still leave residual radioactivity."

Foaly nodded. "I thought so, but I needed to know for a fact before I ran tests. I was estimating that since Opal wasn't out there herself, she would be at her headquarters, where there's a stockpile of them. Unfortunately, her old HQ was destroyed, so now we have to find her new one."

Holly thought for a moment, then said, "Rathdown Park. Arty told me that she had a lab under there, and it might still be functional."

Foaly ran some tests on Rathdown Park and the surrounding area, and when the fans stopped sounding quite so loud, a map appeared on the screen. "That's Rathdown Park," said Foaly, pointing to a square on the map. "And right under it,"

"Radioactivity," Grub breathed, "the same kind in the markers, and lots of it! Holly, you're a genius! We gotta get up there and stop Opal once and for all!"

Foaly paused. "I agree Commander, but we will need help."

"I got it," Holly said. "Foaly, call Butler and tell him I'm going to be up there. I'm going to get Mulch. After all, he is the only one to have broken into Koboi Labs and lived to tell the **tale."**

 **(A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Don't forget to review!)**

 **Happy reading!**


	4. Planning

**(A/N: I hate writer's block. It sucks.)**

-Artemis; his cell, 6 hours later-

Artemis was fuming silently in his cell. He looked like his usual pensive self, but it was all a mask. Opal Koboi had kidnapped him, taken away his memories, sent him out in public when everybody thought he was dead _,_ and worst of all, taken him from Holly Short. The reason Artemis was not openly shouting was in doing so, Opal would know that he had gotten his memories back, and therefore most likely kill him. So instead, he retreated into his mind and planned.

-Holly, Fowl Manor, same time-

Holly strode confidently up the front steps of Fowl Manor. She was going to tell Artemis' parents that their son was alive.

 _Don't do it._

Holly stopped in her tracks and shielded. She had heard somebody talk to her, but there was nobody around. Except, of course, her two shielded bodyguards, one of which was Trouble Kelp, the other Butler.

"What's wrong, Captain?" Kelp asked.

Holly swallowed the feeling of dread that had suddenly overcame her at the prospect of possibly worrying Artemis' family even more. "Nothing, just nerves, that's all." She started again up the stairs, but somebody said again,

 _Don't do it, Holly. I'm telling you, this is for my family's good. Don't. Tell. Them._

This time, Holly sat down on the steps and put her head in her hands. "Who are you? Where are you? And how do you know my name?"

 _It's Artemis, Holly. This may sound weird, but I'm in your head. Well, more specifically, my head, talking to your head._

"Artemis, all I got from that was that this sounds weird. How did you get into my head?" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "but more importantly, can you get into Trouble Kelp's head and tell him to lay off me? Or is his skull too thick for that?"

Artemis laughed in her head, sending tingles down her spine. But that wasn't the only reason for the tingles, as Holly had just noticed Trouble running at her, and in an instant, Trouble was on her, telling her to get up and do her job.

Holly stood, facing the former Commander. "I seem to recall, Trouble, that you are no longer my superior, so lay off" she said, feinting a punch. She laughed as Trouble instinctively protected his face, specifically his jaw.

Artemis laughed again. _That was great Holly, but can you get me out of this infernal cell? I've been in here for two years, and I haven't had a clean change of clothes in at least 6 months_.

"where are you?" she asked. "Are you in Rathdown Park?"

 _Somewhere near there. Whenever I come out, I can see the Manor, at least. West side, I think._

Holly suddenly shot in the direction of the gate, her bodyguards running behind her.

"Where are you going?" Butler asked.

"I'm going to get Mulch, and then to Rathdown Park, where I'm rescuing Artemis." she said.

 _That was fast,_ Artemis said.

"Don't get cocky, Arty. This could still go very wrong."

 _Arty? What?_

Holly just laughed and ran faster.

 **(A/N: Thank you to my reviewers so far!**

 **Guest**

 **Spencer**

 **Please review! I would love to hear what you have to say!)**


	5. Recovery

Artemis waited for Opal's answer to perhaps his 20th request in as many months to go to the large building in the distance that was Fowl Manor. As he had thought about it earlier that morning, he had realized that he had forgotten to list _all_ the reasons to see the Manor, one of which was the fact that the Manor had a strange magic on the property. So that's exactly what he had done, and now he waited with bated breath.

Opal eventually sighed. "Fine," she said. "But you will need a better disguise than usual. There are people on that property who would love nothing more than to kidnap you and manipulate you to do horrible things."

 _Like you did to me,_ Artemis thought to himself. Fortunately, Opal wasn't technologically advanced enough to read minds.

"Tib! Lib!" she called. Tib and Lib, both nicknamed for the one bone they _hadn't_ broken, trundled into the room with their cart of makeup. Artemis, upon seeing this, had a horrible vision of himself with orange hair, high cheekbones and purple lips before noticing that all they had were natural color hair dyes and skin tones.

"Make him unrecognizable," Opal commanded. "If he is recognized, you both die. Got it?"'

"Yes, Ma'am," they said simultaneously. They were used to threats like this.

Thirty minutes later, Artemis looked at himself in the mirror and was surprised at his reflection. Instead of the inexplicable pale that it once was, his skin was now deep tan, as though he'd spent his entire life outside, and his hair was blond and wavy rather than black and wild. He rather thought he looked like a stereotypical American surfer boy.

"I'm ready," Artemis reported, praying that Opal would forget to give him communications equipment, as she so often did.

"Good. Before you go, though, make sure you do that meditating thing. I've noticed that you do better on your missions when you do that."

"Yes, ma'am," Artemis replied, paling and then relaxing. He had thought for a moment that Opal knew that he could retreat into his consciousness, but she had confirmed otherwise.

Artemis heaved a sigh of relief as soon as he entered the room that Opal had given him last night. It wasn't much, just a bed, nightstand and a desk. She had somehow known he was mad yesterday, and assumed it was about his cell. She was wrong, of course, but Artemis wasn't about to argue. He had a bed now! He sat down on his new bed and meditated, retreating into his consciousness.

"Hey Artemis," Orion asked. "Are we going to have that quality time you promised?"

"Sorry Orion, I can't. I have to talk to Holly," Artemis said, running to the other room to where Holly was sleeping. He could hear Orion protesting in the corridor that connected the two rooms.

He kissed Holly awake again, and this time he was prepared to see what Holly saw, which was this time, a very familiar Dwarf.

"Mulch Diggums," he said, smiling. "I wondered when I was going to see that face again."

-Holly; Diggums & Day Detective Agency, same time-

"Oh no," Mulch said as soon as he saw Holly at his desk. "This had better not be about finding Artemis again. He's dead, remember? You even went to his funeral."

"I already know where he is," she replied heatedly. This dwarf could rile her up just by being in the same room as her. "And he talked with me yesterday." She decided not to add the "in my head" part, because Mulch would probably think she was crazy.

"Okay then, why do you need my help?" Mulch countered, standing up in his chair.

"I never said that I talked to him in person." Holly replied angrily. Doodah Day, Mulch's partner, whipped his head back and forth like he was watching a tennis match. Mulch plopped back in his chair.

 _Mulch Diggums_ , a voice said. Artemis. _I wondered when I was going to see that face again._

"D'Arvit, Artemis!" Holly said, flinging her hands up in the air. "Great timing, I'm talking to him, you know!"

"What?" Mulch asked, "who are you talking to?"

Holly sighed. "You know how I said that Artemis talked to me yesterday?"

"Yeah," Mulch said, interested.

"He talked to me in my mind. Something about retreating into his head, or something."

 _Consciousness, Holly. I retreated into my consciousness._

"Shut up, Artemis!"

Mulch fell on the floor laughing. "What did he say?" He asked, tears of mirth streaming down his face.

Holly scrunched up her face. "Consciousness, Holly. I retreated into my consciousness," she said in a poor imitation of Artemis. Mulch guffawed some more before finally composing himself.

"Well, I believe you now. Where are we going?" Mulch asked.

"Rathdown Park."

 _No. go to the Manor. I'll be there, I have a plan._

"Actually, the Manor. Apparently, Artemis has a plan."

"I don't like this," Mulch said.

Holly smirked. "I know. So does he."

 _You know it._

-Artemis, Fowl Manor, 2 hours later-

Artemis was waiting for Holly and Mulch in his room at Fowl Manor. It felt so good to be in his own room again, even if he wasn't technically supposed to be there. He was also glad that Myles and Beckett had refrained from messing with his room, so he knew exactly where everything was.

His window alarm suddenly went off, and before he could react, he was on the floor with a familiar Elf pinning him down.

"Holly," he said. "Could you let me go? This hold hurts and you know it."

Holly just pushed harder and said, "How do you know my name? Who are you? Because you're definitely not my Arty."

 _Arty? MY Arty?_

"Holy Frond," Artemis whispered. "I wasn't expecting that at all…"

Holly glared at him. "You weren't expecting _what_ , mud man? To be pinned to the floor by a _girl_ who's half your height? Artemis said _he_ would be here, not some dorky American teenager!"

Artemis sighed. "Holly, if you were to get my hair wet, it would turn black. Same with my skin. If you get it wet, the makeup will come off and I'll be myself again."

"Let's see about that," Holly growled, dragging Artemis by the leg to the bathroom. As his room vanished from sight, he could see Mulch grinning evilly at him.

-Foaly, OPs Booth, same time-

Foaly watched as Fowl Manor came into view on the live feed from Holly's Iris-Cam.

"Remember Holly, don't lose your cool. I know you haven't seen Artemis in over two years, but that doesn't give you any reason to act irrationally."

"Yeah, yeah, Foaly. I know. Who is that!?" Holly suddenly shouted. She streaked into Artemis' window and instantly had the scrawny teenager that had been snooping through Artemis' things in a painful hold on the bedroom floor.

"Holly," the boy said, "Could you let me go? This hold hurts and you know it."

Foaly watched and listened in awe as the boy was dragged into the bathroom and his face scrubbed mercilessly by Holly. He made a mental note never to cross her. Ever. After several minutes of scrubbing, pale skin and black hair finally started to show through the surfer tan. Once Artemis was mostly back to normal, Holly finally stopped scrubbing and stepped back.

"Hmm," she said, "I liked you better with the tan." Noticing his visible confusion and pout, Holly burst into laughter. "I'm just kidding, Arty! Jeez, I lo- like you just the way you are!"

Artemis, ever focused, noticed Holly's blunder and grinned, "you _like_ me just the way I am? I thought you were going to say something else, Captain."

Holly blushed. _D'Arvit,_ she thought. _I knew he was going to notice. He always does!_

"Never mind that, Artemis. Let's just get out of here," she said, looking away to hide her reddening face.

Artemis frowned. Holly didn't like to show her feelings for anybody, and it was getting pretty annoying. In an instant, he came up with a plan. He collapsed and retreated into his mind.

Once in his consciousness, he saw Orion, who was looking disgruntled. He heard Holly shout his name, and he smirked at him.

"You're in charge. Go." Artemis said.

Orion beamed. "Happy to," he said, and he disappeared. Artemis sat in his chair and watched the chaos unfold. Artemis/Orion looked up at Holly and smiled. "Hello," he said. "It's so nice to finally see you in the flesh."

Holly screamed.


	6. Orion

**(A/N: Sorry, this chapter's a little short (hehe), but this is all I had time to write. Ideas are now very welcome, I need them!)**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own AF, blah blah blah**

Holly was furious. "Artemis! If you can hear me, get Orion out RIGHT! NOW!"

Orion cocked his head, as if listening to somebody only he could hear. Then he grinned. "Artemis is currently unavailable, would you like to leave a message?"

Holly slapped Orion. "What? No! Give me Artemis!"

 _It's fine, Holly. I can talk to you here. What do you need?_

Holly growled. "I _need,_ Artemis, for you to get Orion out of your head!"

Orion sat down and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he rubbed his cheek and said, "Do you still think I'm not Artemis now, Holly?"

"Yes."

"Aw, come on, Holly. I would have thought you'd notice the change in demeanor when Orion closed my eyes."

"Fine, I believe you now. Orion never uses the word _demeanor_. It's too intelligent for him."

Suddenly, somebody knocked at the bathroom door. They stopped, silent.

"Hey, what's going on in there? Holly, is Artemis okay?" Mulch asked.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Holly said, opening the door.

Artemis smiled at his old friend. "I am fine, Mulch. A little irked, but fine."

"Okay," Mulch shrugged. "Just making sure Holly didn't give you a concussion or anything."

Holly snorted. "I sure felt like it, especially after that little _stunt_ you pulled with Orion."  
Mulch gasped. "I thought you were over the Atlantis Complex!" he exclaimed.

Artemis smirked. "I am, but Orion was still there, just not threatening to be in control. He's only in control when I want him to be in control. But enough on that now, We need-"

"Four"

"What?"

"Four," Mulch repeated, grinning. "Just making sure you're really over it."

Artemis rolled his eyes. "Anyway," he said, ignoring Mulch, "We need to get out of here and stop Opal for good. Any suggestions?"

"We could go to Haven," Holly suggested.

"What? No!" Mulch protested, "Everybody thinks he's dead!"

"Exactly. Opal doesn't think we'd go down there for that exact reason. Artemis being alive would alert the LEP and all of Haven that something is wrong, and Opal doesn't want that."

Mulch sighed while Artemis beamed. "I think that would be a fantastic idea," he said. "And with all the knowledge I have of Opal's plans, we're bound to stop her for sure."

Holly blanched as realization struck. "Artemis," she asked, "What are we going to tell Butler? And your parents?"

"You could start by telling me where you've been for the past two years," a voice said.

 **(ooOOooh, who is that? Angeline? Artemis Senior? Butler? Well, review and find out!)**


	7. Safe Haven

**(Sorry this chapter is short, I ran into some** _ **serious**_ **writer's block. ugh.)**

 **I don't own AF. Enjoy!**

Artemis whipped around and attempted to kick the intruder, but his foot was stopped mid-kick.

"Artemis," said Butler, "You're getting better. But not good enough."

Artemis put his foot down. "My apologies, old friend. I didn't recognize your voice, after not hearing it for two years."

Butler nodded. "Understandable. I hate to admit it, but I didn't recognize you when you came in."

Artemis laughed. "Probably because of the disguise," he said.

Butler's features suddenly became stern. "Which reminds me. What's with the disguise?" he asked, "Why were you gone?"

Artemis quickly sobered. "I rather dislike what I have been doing for the past two years. Actually, scratch that. I _hate_ what I've been doing." Seeing Butler's questioning look, he continued. "I have, unfortunately, been working for Opal Koboi."

Butler suddenly surged forward and searched Artemis for any weaponry or surveillance devices. He knew from experience that when it came to Opal Koboi and her associates, nobody was to be trusted, not even Artemis.

"What are you doing?" Artemis asked. Butler told him, to which Artemis replied, "It's no use. Opal just put a disguise on me and sent me here. She says she's too busy planning to have time for surveillance."

Holly appeared deep in thought. "Hmm," she said, "That's not like her at all. She's usually so… on top of everything."

"I know, but she's been _so_ busy lately, she almost never leaves her computer."

They went on like this for several more minutes until Holly realized that they should probably leave, and that Mulch was in the kitchen doing who knows what. They cautiously ventures downstairs, keeping an eye out for Juliet, Angeline, and the Twins (Artemis Senior was at a business meeting), and retrieved Mulch, who was chowing on leftover casserole. "Aw, come on!" he complained. "But Juliet makes it so good!"

"That's why we're leaving it here," Artemis said coldly.

Mulch grumbled, "fine," and reluctantly put the half-eaten platter of casserole back in the refrigerator.

30 minutes later, they were all in a shuttle heading down to Haven, with the obvious exception of Butler, who had been more than reluctant to let Artemis out of his sight so soon after he had returned.

"I'll be fine," Artemis had told him. "I have Holly to help protect me. And you forget, I have training. Besides, Mother and Father need you at the Manor."

Butler had then - still reluctantly - agreed to let Artemis go into Haven with Holly and Mulch.

Artemis was now sitting in the shuttle catching up with Mulch. Apparently, Mulch and Doodah Day, his detective partner, had split up, with Mulch mostly returning to his old life, and Doodah continuing the detective business. Artemis, however, had done nothing but place markers for the past two years.

"We're here," Holly announced. "Everybody out."

"Finally," Artemis said. "I had forgotten how small these things are."

Mulch laughed. "If you think these are small, you should see Holly's apartment."

Holly slapped Mulch, and he said, "What? He's gotta stay _somewhere_. And it's not like a 5' 8" Mud Man can just walk into an apartment complex and request a room, right?"

Holly sighed. "I guess you're right," she admitted. "But you're sleeping on the futon!" she added to Artemis.

"Honestly, Captain," Artemis replied, "I wouldn't care if you told me to sleep on the floor. Anywhere's better than the cell I was stuck in for two years."

Holly smirked. "Maybe I will then," she said.

Artemis blanched. "Please don't. I would much prefer the futon."

Holly and Mulch laughed. "I was joking, mud boy," Holly chuckled. "Now let's get you to the Council."

 **(AAAH! I hate writer's block! Please give me ideas!)**


	8. New Home

**(A/N: Whoo! I almost literally barfed this chapter out of my toes last night, so I apologize if it is of low quality. Regardless, enjoy!)**

 **Do I really need a disclaimer?**

Artemis sat in front of the Council, trying to convince them to let him stay in Haven.

"Your Honors, it has certainly come as a surprise to you to see that I am alive and well. What may surprise you more, is the fact that I know where Opal Koboi is, and what she is doing."

Council Chairman Cahartez spoke up. "Yes, Fowl. We are surprised," he said sarcastically. "What has Opal Koboi been doing, and where is she?"

"I will not divulge that information until I have stated the reason I am here. That reason being to request to reside here for a short amount of time, until Opal Koboi is stopped and I can safely return home."

"And where would you be staying for said 'short amount of time'?" Cahartez asked, slightly annoyed.

"Captain Short has allowed me to reside at her apartment for the time being." Artemis said confidently.

The council seemed - if possible - even more surprised. "Is this true, Captain?" Chairman Lope asked.

"It is," Holly replied with equal confidence.

"And you are prepared to face any risks and consequences that may occur from letting a Mud Man reside in Haven? Specifically, property damage and mass terror? He is rather infamous, after all."

"Yes, Your Honor." Holly heard Artemis' huff of indignance, as if he were thinking, _property damage? Really? And the mass terror thing is just ridiculous. I could cause mass terror among trained mercenaries by simply being in the same room as them._

"It is settled then. Artemis Fowl will live with Captain Short until, and _only until_ , Opal Koboi is back in prison." Cahartez's voice boomed with authority. "Now, Mr. Fowl, What has Opal Koboi been up to for the past two years?"

"If we could drop the formality for the time being, that would make me immensely comfortable." Artemis said, and Cahartez nodded.

"What has Opal been doing?" Cahartez asked, much less formally.

"She has been gathering an army of humans. She has at least 10,000 people under her command at Rathdown Park. The biggest and the strongest in one department, and the agile and smart ones in the other. All mesmerized, all kidnapped, save a few, who joined willingly. I myself was kidnapped, but allowed to keep my free will, so I could _place markers_ for two years. After being mind-wiped, of course." He said the last part with disgust.

"How did you get your memories back?" Lope asked.

"Believe it or not, my Atlantis Complex actually helped me get my memories back and escape. I used a method of relaxation to retreat into my consciousness, and Orion, my, ah, _alter ego_ , if you will, directed me to a facsimile of Captain Short who appeared to be sleeping in some part of my consciousness. I woke her up, looked her in the eyes, and my memories returned. Simple as that."

Holly looked at Artemis, stunned. Seeing her look, Artemis muttered, "We'll talk later." Holly nodded, and another Council member addressed Artemis.

"So you say that Opal has over 10,000 Mud People under her command. When did you get this number?" he asked.

"Last week."

"How many kept their 'free will'?"

"57, not including me. I am no longer working for her, so I believe I must not be counted in that."

"Very well. We will discuss this at great length among ourselves. Be prepared to be called back in within a week."

"Thank you, Your Honors." Holly said, and they left the room, Holly stopping at her office to shelve her things. The pair walked to Holly's apartment in silence, and when Holly unlocked her apartment door, she gestured to the couch in the corner.

"That's the futon, there are blankets in the closet." she said, visibly exhausted.

"Thank you, Holly. Good night." Artemis said.

"'Night." she smiled drowsily at him.

Artemis pulled out the futon, and after finding pillows and blankets in the closet that Holly had shown him, he took off his shoes, and laid on the bed, instantly slipping into the best sleep he'd had in two years.

 **(Finally! Artemis sleeps well! Be ready for Chapter 9, 'cause it's gonna be a real doozy! (I wouldn't know, I haven't written it yet. Guess it's gonna be a doozy for me too!) In the meantime, here are some questions for you to answer: How should Holly and Artemis' relationship work out? What should happen with Opal? Review with your suggestions!)**


	9. Reveal

**(A/N: First-person view. Let me know how you like it! Reviews are always welcome!)**

As I woke up, I felt a sense of peace unlike anything I had felt in several years. I was free. Free from Opal, free from danger, at least for the moment. Upon regaining conscious thought, I realized that I had not reminded Butler to not let my parents know that I was alive, and I should be expecting a phone call any minute. As if on cue, my phone played the opening bars of "Siren Song". My ringtone for Mother. I grabbed my phone that, luckily, Opal had allowed me to keep because of it's hacking capabilities, and said in a clear voice, "Phone. Answer the call."

"Of course, Artemis," the phone answered in the cheery voice of Lili Frond, whose voice I had programmed in there specifically to annoy Holly. I smiled, then frowned when I heard Mother's voice on the other end.

"Arty? Is that you? Butler told me that you -"

"Yes, Mother. It is me. I am fine, if not slightly annoyed."

"Oh, did I wake you up?" Angeline sounded offended.

I realized how that must have sounded and hurriedly corrected myself. "No, mother. You did not wake me up. I am annoyed at Opal Koboi, that is all."

"Opal? What did she do to you?" She sounded worried now.

"Not much," I replied sarcastically. "Just imprisoned me for two years and forced me to help her build an army to overthrow the People."

A gasp was audible. "How many?"

I sighed. I did not want to be worrying Mother right now. Especially after she just found out that I was alive. "Let's leave that topic be for now, Mother. How are you? I haven't seen you in two years."

It was Angeline's turn to sigh now. "It's been rather uneventful, you know, apart from the normal chaos from the twins."

Oh Frond. The twins.

"The twins. How are they dealing with my absence?"

"Myles is particularly distressed, he was going to learn so much from you. Beckett is also sad, mostly because Myles is down all the time."

I was incredulous. "You haven't told them?" I asked.

"No, I didn't want to get their hopes up until I knew for sure that you were alive."

I smirked as an idea hit me. "Well, I think that they can wait a little bit longer. Expect me later today, but don't tell anybody else." I hung up as Mother was saying, "Okay, I'll see you," because Holly had just walked out of her room, and seeing me, smiled and asked, "Did you sleep well?"

I chuckled. "Best sleep I've had in two years."

Holly nodded. "Good, because from what I heard from your conversation, you are planning on doing something ambitious today."

I grinned my signature vampirish grin. "I am planning on doing something. Surprising my family with a visit."

Holly shook her head, in a jokingly exasperated sort of way. She poured herself a mug of what looked like herbal tea and said, "Artemis Fowl, ever the Mud Boy."

"What, exactly, do you mean by that?" I asked, no small hint of playfulness in my voice.

"I'll leave you to figure that out, genius. I have to go to work." She mirrored my expression as she walked out the door. "Don't destroy anything."

"Wasn't planning on it." I was still grinning when the door closed behind her.

Two hours later, after a knuckle-whitening ride on a magma flare (in a shuttle piloted by none other than Mulch Diggums) and an equally terrifying ride on the surface, I stood at the gate to Fowl Manor.

My home.

I bid Mulch farewell and told him to meet me back here in three hours. The dwarf raised his hand in a mock salute from the safety of the shuttle, then disappeared, whether from the shielding mechanism or from the speed at which he left, I didn't know, nor did I care. I entered what I hoped was the key to the gate, 0901, my birthday. To my utter satisfaction, the gates hissed open as the hydraulic pistons holding the gates shut gradually emptied themselves of their hydraulic fluid. I strode into the grounds and called Butler. He picked up on the second ring.

"Hello Artemis. What do you need?" the manservant asked.

"I need simply for you to make sure that there is nobody in the entrance hall. Actually, I need everybody on the other side of the Manor from my lab and bedroom. Can you manage that?"

Silence, then, "Yes. I already did. Everybody is in Angeline's room right now."

"Excellent. Thank you, I will be there in, ah, about two minutes."

"Two minutes!?" Butler sounded surprised. "You're at the gate?"

"Yes, old friend, I am. Mother called this morning and I told her that I would be on my way."

"Okay, Artemis. See you in a minute."

"Two minutes."

"Same difference."

I walked quietly to my room, so as not to alert my family that I was there. Upon seeing the remains of the casserole, I grinned, remembering Mulch's reluctance to leave. It was hard to believe that I had been here only yesterday. I quickly shut the door to my room, not caring anymore about silence. In fact, I was going to be as loud as I normally was in here, before I was kidnapped.

That is to say, _very loud._

Not two minutes after I started the noise, I heard a knock on my door, and a voice, unmistakably my father's.

"Who's in there? Myles? Is this where you ran off to? You know you're not allowed in there."

I abruptly stopped my "work" and opened the door. "No, Father. This is not Myles. I do not know where he 'ran off' to."

Father was beyond stunned. "What the… Artemis? Son?" He reached out, as if to stroke my cheek, and I took his hand. "Yes, Father. It's me."

"H-how? You were killed. I saw the body myself."

"It was merely a clone, Father. Fairy technology."

"A clone?" The ball dropped. " _Fairy_ technology?" If possible, my father looked even more surprised.

"Yes. I was kidnapped just over two years ago. You remember that night?"

Father's expression became distant and hollow. "I remember," he said. "The night we lost you forever."

I almost didn't want to continue, after seeing the look on my father's face, but there was an underlying tone of curiosity in his eyes that somehow made me.

"Yes, that night. I was kidnapped, drugged, then kept in a cell the size of my bed for three weeks, and mindwiped by a megalomaniacal pixie named Opal Koboi."

"Pixie… what is that?"

"A Pixie is one of the eight families of fairies, along with Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Gremlins, Goblins, Sprites and Demons."

Something clicked in my father's head as he registered what I said. "Holly… I've seen her before. Is she one of these… Fairies?"

I nodded. "Yes. An Elf, to be exact."

"Okay, but we're getting off track. What happened after you were 'mindwiped'? What is mindwiping?"

"Mindwiping is, in layman's terms, removing memories and replacing them with new ones, or leaving it blank, and the patient wonders what happened for some amount of time. Like what Opal did to me. She didn't bother giving me new memories, so I was left wondering where the last 15 years of my life went. I knew the basics, of course, my name, when I was born, et cetera. But I couldn't remember where I lived, or anything to do with Fairies. Opal taught me, but she twisted it to make it sound like she was the 'savior' of them all and she needed Human help."

During my explanation, Father listened with a look of interest on his face. Eventually, he said, "I need to digest this. This is too much, even for a brain like mine." He chuckled.

"Where is everybody else?" I asked.

"They're upstairs, in my room. Why?"

"I am going to tell them everything I just told you."

Artemis Senior shook his head. "No. You can tell your mother, but not the twins. They only need to know that you are alive, nothing more."

"What about Juliet?"

"Butler told her, she wasn't really that surprised. She had been putting the pieces together from the night you were kidnapped. Smart girl."

I chuckled. "That she is."

Father chuckled harder. "Maybe you two should get together… or not." He added when he saw the look I gave him.

"I'm taken." I said shortly. "Don't even joke about it."

Father held up his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, okay. If you don't mind me asking, who is it?"

I smirked. "You've seen her before. Isn't she one of those… Fairies? An Elf?"

He gasped. "No way."

"To put it simply: Yes way."


	10. Opal

**(A/N: Finally! Writer's block is horrible.)**

Opal Koboi sat at her computer (because where else?), sweating buckets, which was not unusual at this point. The reason for this specific 'sweatfest' was that her prized puppet, Artemis Fowl, had not yet returned from his requested assignment to Fowl Manor. She cursed herself for neglecting to send him with communications equipment.

"TIB! LIB! GET IN HERE!" The enthralled pixies entered mere seconds after she called. _The wonders of runes…_

Opal had stopped being nervous and had transitioned to furious.

"Where is Fowl?" she demanded.

Tib, the older of the two, bowed low, as per regulations, and said, "We do not know, mistress Opal."

Lib, the younger and unfortunately smarter one, also bowed and gave an idea. "Perhaps, mistress, you could access the Fowl Manor security cameras to figure out why the Fowl boy is not back."

Opal gave a fake smile. "Thank you, Lib. I wonder why your older brother didn't figure that out?"

Lib inclined his head in acknowledgement and Tib paled as Opal turned back to her computer. In seconds, she was in the Fowl Manor security system. Most of the rooms were empty, except for a few, one of which had the boy's bodyguard in his dojo, meditating. Not unusual. He did that often. Artemis Senior was in his personal study, obviously thinking, judging from his hands wrung through his hair. What caught her eye was the parents' bedroom. The mother and the twins were on the bed, talking to _somebody_ who was just outside of the cameras range. She was about to dismiss it as a family friend or business colleague, when she noticed raven black hair and a pale ear.

I believe it is safe to say that Opal, ah, _exploded_. Literally. Her anger was such that she released an eruption of black magic, instantly incinerating her computer, Tib and Lib, and the room she was in. When the outburst subsided, she was the only thing left in the room. The room itself was almost gone, with only a few half-melted support beams protruding from the floor. Opal took a few heaving breaths, swore, then made an oath to kill Artemis Fowl. He was no longer of any use to her. She stormed toward Fowl Manor, literally sparking with anger.

Artemis now sat in his study, typing at an impossibly fast speed, inputting every experience of the past two years into his journal. He had received a call from Mulch asking about whether or not he should come back up to get him. Artemis had declined, saying, "There's more important things for me to do here." He stopped when he got to the time he retreated into his consciousness and found Orion, and Holly. He wasn't sure whether or not he should put that in his journal. _It is_ my _journal, but there is always the risk that someone will hack it._ He eventually decided to put it in, resolving to add a few more layers of encryption.

 _Journal Entry #163 - 9/8/2014_ _ **(*)**_ _continued. Event date - 9/6/2014_

 _Today, I also found out how to retreat into my consciousness. I found an interesting individual named Orion, who I later found out had been my alter ego when I was under the influence of the Atlantis Complex. He directed me to a facsimile of Holly Short, and instructed me, in essence, to "kiss her awake." I did so, and all my memories were - literally - magically returned. Opal Koboi had kidnapped, mindwiped, and held me for two years, forcing me to do her bidding. Fortunately, she did not issue me a thrall rune as she did so many others. I do not wish to be under that sort of control again. However, if Opal does find and enthrall me, I know that I at least have Orion if things get desperate. Very desperate. On another note, during the return of my memories, I came to a realization. That realization is that I am - dare I say it - in love with Holly Short. Yes, me, Artemis Fowl the Second, in love with the woman that I myself kidnapped no more than 10 years ago. I only hope she reciprocates that love._

 _End of entry._

Artemis sat back in his chair and cracked his knuckles. He was surprised that he had retained the ability to type as fast as he did. There are some things that never leave you, like the ability to walk, or speak, or love. The last one had come a little late for Artemis, but to him, he reasoned, that meant it would stay that much longer.

Artemis was interrupted from his thoughts by Butler, who informed him that it was time for dinner. Artemis checked his watch, surprised.

"Already? Time flies when you are typing two years' worth of events into your journal."

The bodyguard nodded. "If I may ask, what types of 'events' happened during the two years?"

Artemis gave an exhausted sigh. "Nothing you want to know about."

Butler shrugged. "If you say so." He turned to leave.

"Actually, Butler," Artemis called. Butler faced his charge.

"Yes?"

"There is one thing," Artemis admitted. "What can you tell me about relationships?"

Butler sighed. _The day has finally come._ He sat in the extra chair next to Artemis'.

"Well, I don't know too much," he said. "This would be a question better suited for your parents. However, I will tell you everything I know. Or are there any specifics?" He was right to ask that question, as Artemis did have one _specific_ 'specific' in mind.

"I do, actually. How would you deal with a relationship that is physically impossible to make work?"

Butler thought. "Artemis," he finally said, smiling. "If you love Holly as much as I think you do, you'll find a way to make your relationship work."

Artemis blanched. "Was it that obvious?"

Butler smirked. "Only to me."

After Butler left for dinner, Artemis thought about what his friend had said. _If you love Holly as much as I think you do, you'll find a way._ Artemis _did_ love Holly, and more than Butler could ever dream. Without her, he would have been killed ten times over, at least. And he wouldn't have his father, or his mother. Or the twins. Without Holly, Artemis would truly be alone, with the exception of Butler. _Even then…_ Artemis thought, _maybe not even him_. He stood and joined the rest of his family at the table. He was silent for the duration of the meal until Myles and Beckett had finished eating. He escorted them out of the room and asked Juliet to put them to bed. She happily obliged. Soon, only him, his parents, and Butler were in the room. Artemis Senior raised an eyebrow. "Is there something you want to tell us, son?" he asked.

Artemis Junior replied unfazed. He had been expecting this. "Not _tell_ , per se, I would use the term _discuss_. I am going to be blunt here, mother. As much as it may surprise you, I am in love."

Angeline's eyes widened in surprise. She smiled. "My little Arty's growing up. Who's the lucky girl?"

Artemis looked at his father, and he nodded minutely.

"You know her. _Of_ her, at least."

Mother's eyes widened even more. " _No…_ Holly?"

Artemis gave his vampire smirk. "Yes, Holly. Who else?"

Artemis' communicator suddenly vibrated against his ring finger. He twisted it to answer the call, then put his thumb in his ear and his little finger in front of his mouth.

"Artemis Fowl speaking. Is this Holly or Foaly?"

"Both," Holly's voice said. "There's been an explosion in Rathdown Park. Want to guess who it is?"

Artemis groaned. "Great. It would seem that _she_ has found out about my absence. What's the ETA?"

Foaly's voice: "Now. We're sending a Retrieval One team."

"D'Arvit."

On cue, the front door exploded, sending shards of wood and glass into the entry hall. Butler started to run to the source, but Artemis stopped him.

"We have no hope of fighting Opal single-handedly. Foaly's sending a Retrieval One team."

"But, Master Artemis, I can't let her destroy the house."

Artemis growled and returned to the call. "When is the team going to be here?"

"At least 5 minutes, 4 if you're lucky."

 _Too long_. They would have to deal with this themselves. They could hear Opal destroying the entry hall, and everybody knew they would be next if they didn't do something, and soon.

Butler instructed Angeline and Artemis Senior to retreat to the safe room underneath the security booth. Then it was just him and Artemis. Just like old times.

"If you're going to go out there, you have to have some sort of protection against Opal's _mesmer._ " Artemis said. He had terminated the call. "The mirrored sunglasses won't work, because her magic is powerful enough that she does not need use of the optical nerve." He noticed one of many pairs of earbuds that Beckett had carelessly left on the table. He picked them up and handed them to Butler.

"Use these. The _mesmer_ is useless if the recipient cannot hear what the fairy is saying, even for somebody as powerful as Opal."

Butler took the earbuds wordlessly, switching his brain to warrior mode. He plugged them into his MP3 player, selected a song, then unholstered his pistol and ran to the entry hall. Behind Artemis, a heat haze was visible just in front of the window.

"Hello, Holly." Artemis said casually, as though they were meeting in a restaurant.

Holly unshielded. "Hey Artemis. That was smart, using the earbuds."

Artemis grinned. "I've been working with Opal for two years. I know how to stop her."

"Speaking of Opal…" Holly took out her Neutrino and disappeared. Artemis ran into the entry hall, which was in chaos. The suit of armor that Butler had worn when he defeated the troll was in pieces on the floor, as were most of the others, along with a chunk of the stairs. Most of the entry hall was on fire. Butler himself was hiding behind the blown-out portion of the stairs taking potshots at Opal. She deflected them with bursts of magic, sending them careening into walls and through windows. She saw Artemis and yelled angrily, sending a burst of magic straight at his face. Artemis had no choice but to deflect it. He quickly made a complex pattern with his fingers and pushed outward. Blue sparks gathered at his shoulders and wound themselves around his arms, rapidly gathering speed. As the magic left his outstretched fingers, it was traveling at several hundred miles per hour, enough to deflect Opal's burst of magic straight back at her, and knock Artemis onto his back. It hit her in the face, and Opal flew backwards, crashing into a support pillar. Fortunately, it held.

Artemis stood. Everything was silent now, apart from a few small crashes and the crackling of fire. Holly had unshielded, and she and Butler stared at him in awe.

Artemis looked at them, panting. "I can explain."

 **(A/N: Arty has magic! What do you think will happen next? Also, about the date, The Last Guardian came out in 2012, and since Artemis was gone for two years, and the story is set at the beginning of TLG, I saw fit to make the year 2014)**


	11. Finally

**(A/N: I got the concept for Partnering from Kaori Kisaragi's story An Unexpected Turn of Events. I will, however, change it just a bit to make it more kid-friendly. Just so ya know.)**

Artemis' features suddenly hardened. "The council _cannot_ know about this."

Holly nodded numbly. There was shouting outside, and Artemis looked out the front door, which had been blasted off its hinges. A Retrieval One team, with many of the same members as the one that had stormed Fowl Manor more than 10 years ago, were on the front drive. Commander Grub Kelp was issuing orders. He shouted something, and the team drew their Neutrino 3000's. Artemis held up a hand, the universal military signal for _stop_.

The team did so, but they all kept their guns out.

"What is it, Fowl?" Commander Kelp called.

"There is no need for all the weapons, Commander. Opal is incapacitated for the time being."

Grub muttered into his mic, and all but two of the team members holstered their weapons. The two that kept theirs and four others hurried to the Manor, stopping at the door. Commander Kelp raised his eyebrow expectantly.

"Come in," Artemis beckoned. The officers obliged. They picked their way to Opal and secured her with octo-bonds. Artemis shook his head disapprovingly.

"Those won't do, You'll have to use animal fat. I have some in a barrel in the cellar. Butler, would you mind getting that?"

Butler nodded, disappearing down the hall. He returned a few minutes later towing a cart with a large barrel on it. Seeing the barrel, Holly shuddered. Despite all the hatred she had for Opal, she couldn't help but feel a little bit of pity for the pixie.

Just a little.

The officers picked up Opal by the shoulders, inserted a breathing tube into her mouth, and lowered her into the barrel of fat, wrinkling their noses at the putrid stench. Once Opal was all the way under, Butler fastened the top onto the barrel. He was reminded of a time when he had dunked somebody else into the very same barrel. He shuddered at the memory.

Artemis, Holly and Butler watched as the Retrieval One team loaded the barrel onto the shuttle, securing it with more octo-bonds. Artemis sighed as the shuttle took off and disappeared.

"Looks like we have a mess to clean up." He settled into the meditative lotus position and closed his eyes. Magic sparked at his shoulders. He held his hands out and the magic relocated itself to there, curling off his hands in tendrils. The tendrils targeted pieces of armor, furniture and stairs, slotting them back in place like a jigsaw puzzle. The entire time, Holly and Butler stood, their mouths gaping incredulously. When the last helmet clinked into place, Artemis opened his eyes and nodded once at the newly reassembled entry hall.

Holly gasped, and Artemis looked at her, eyebrow raised. "Nothing," she said quickly. "I just remembered that I need to be in Haven." She flew off, desperate to hide her face. Unbeknownst to Artemis, she had just realized that Opal was now 'back in prison' and Artemis could no longer stay at her apartment with her. It was a shame, because she had been planning to confess her feelings for him that night. _Another opportunity lost_ , she thought sadly. She flew back to E1 and shouldered her way through the busy shuttleport. She finally collapsed into her chair in her office and put her head in her hands. She stayed that way until Grub Kelp came in. He had noticed that she hadn't gotten much work done since the event with Opal earlier that day. He opened the door, then said, "Hey, Captain, is something wrong? I noticed that you haven't done much since the surface mission."

Holly looked up. Her eyes were red and watery. Commander Kelp frowned at the sight of his best officer in this much distress.

"I would say there's something wrong," he finally said. "Does it have to do with Artemis?" He knew that Holly had feelings for the Human, but he didn't know they extended this deep. Holly stared at him for a few seconds, then said in a cracked voice, "Yes. It is about Artemis."

Grub recoiled at the sound. "Would you like some water?" He asked. Holly nodded. He left, returning shortly with a paper cup full of filtered water. Holly drank gratefully, then crushed the cup on her desk. She threw it in the trash bucket, then sighed.

"Grub, I need to talk to you as a friend, not one of your officers. Can you do that for a minute?" Grub nodded, and Holly continued. "I love Artemis. I'm sure you know that. But now that Artemis can't stay with me anymore, I don't know when I'll be able to talk to him again."

Grub was struck with an idea. "How's your magic?" he asked.

"That was random," Holly noted. She cracked her neck and a few solitary sparks fizzled around random areas of her body. She shuddered. "I need to perform the Ritual. I'm running low."

Grub nodded. "Tonight's a full moon, and I can get you a surface pass." He grinned craftily. Holly caught his meaning and smiled.

"Thanks, Grub. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"I'm sure I don't."

 _Journal Entry #164 - 9/8/2014 - 9:18 PM_

 _Today Opal showed up at the Manor and destroyed the entrance hall, beyond livid that I had escaped. Fortunately, I managed to deflect one of her magical blasts with my own magic and store her in the barrel of fat so the Retrieval One team could take her to Atlantis._

 _About the magic._

 _Opal infused me with it herself, similar to how No. 1 infused Holly before our journey into the past. It was an easy task for her, seeing as she is more powerful than even No. 1 himself. However, how I was able to retain the magic has yet to be explained._

 _Speaking of No. 1, during my time in Haven, there was a Partnering ceremony. I was invited, as one of the partners was none other than ex-Commander Trouble Kelp himself. He had invited all LEP officers and any friends that they had. Qwan performed the Partnering, watched by No. 1, who had used it as a lesson. I asked No. 1 about it later that day, and he explained that Partnering was a process in which the two fairies' minds literally_ become _part of each other. During the ceremony itself, their minds are shared, similar to how it was with mine and the Demon Warlocks and Holly's in the time tunnel._

 _It was at that moment that I made my decision. Provided that Holly has the same feelings for me, I will do everything in my power to be with her fore..._

Artemis abruptly stopped typing. His cell phone had buzzed, and he recognized it as the window alarm that he had installed. He quickly minimized his journal and turned around in his chair. Obviously, there was nothing there, so Artemis spoke:

"Good evening, Holly. A pleasure to see you back so soon."

Holly shimmered into visibility. For some reason, there was a slight tinge of pink on her cheeks. Artemis, being unfamiliar with the manifestations of various feelings, did not know what it meant. He assumed it was because of the heater.

"You're looking a little red, is the heat on too high?" Artemis asked. Holly blushed deeper, and it was then clear to Artemis.

"Ah. You're embarrassed about something. Go ahead, spit it out. I won't judge."

Holly looked at the floor and muttered something that sounded like, "I love you," and Artemis stiffened.

"Sorry, what was that?"

Holly looked up at him, tears in her eyes now. "I - I love you, Arty."

Artemis was stunned. He knew that Holly was his friend - his _close_ friend -, but never in a million years would he have expected those words to come out of her mouth. He decided that, because she had confessed her feelings, he had better do it too. It was all part of the whole _chivalry_ thing.

"I love you too, Holly."

Holly, in turn, had never expected those words to come out of Artemis' mouth either. But she recovered quickly and gave him a smothering hug. She shook with the happy sobs that overcame her, and Artemis felt tears in his own eyes as he reciprocated with equal enthusiasm. Finally, Holly pulled back and asked, "How long?"

Artemis genuinely smiled for the first time in two years. "Ever since we met, even if I didn't realize it at the time."

Holly laughed. "It took awhile for me. I think I started loving you… around the C Cube incident. I didn't want to lose you to the mind wipe. Imagine how happy I was when you came back."

"Then multiply it by ten?" Artemis joked.

Holly laughed again. "Exactly." She sighed happily. Her communicator suddenly rang, souring the moment more effectively than week-old milk on the south end of a north-facing dwarf. Holly groaned and answered it.

"What is it, Commander?"

Grub Kelp's face and voice came crystal clear through the communicator. "Sorry to interrupt, but Foaly needs you for an experiment, and it's urgent. Like, one chance in a hundred years urgent. That's what he said, at least."

"Okay, Commander, I'll be there in a few minutes."

"See you, Captain. Hey, how'd it go with Artemis?"

Holly smiled. "Wonderful."

"Glad to hear it." Grub hung up.

Holly turned to Artemis. "I'll see you soon." she kissed him. "I love you."

"I love you too." Artemis watched as she launched herself from the window, soaring off into the night. He turned back to his computer and finished his entry.

 _...ver._

 _Update - 9:23 PM:_

 _Holly loves me. Words cannot describe the overwhelming joy I feel in knowing that my feelings toward Holly are equally reciprocated. I only wish this moment was sooner. I will talk to No. 1 as soon as possible about Partnering._

 _End of entry_

Artemis sat back, immensely satisfied with the events of that day. Opal Koboi had been defeated, he had moved back into his house, and Holly loved him. He laid in bed and slipped into a deep sleep blessed with dreams of Holly Short.

 **(A/N: Bueno... Muy Bueno...)**


	12. Arrival

**(A/N: Another update is here! I won't be updating as often now, because of school and stuff.**

 **Crystal: You asked, I delivered!** **)**

Holly's mind was reeling. She had just confessed her love for a Mud Man, and he loved her back! She was so lost in the world of her thoughts that she almost overshot the shuttleport. She landed, then walked through the thankfully mostly empty port as though she were passenger in her body, not driver. The gnome at the desk noticed her vacant expression and asked what was up.

"Nothing," Holly lied.

The gnome was not convinced, but did not press further. He let Holly through the gate, where she continued the journey down to Haven, and further from Artemis. Already, she longed to be back in his arms. Warm, comfortable, and safe. It seemed like mere seconds had passed when Holly trudged through Foaly's office door. Commander Kelp and the centaur were standing around a test bench and didn't notice her enter. She coughed quietly and Foaly whipped around.

"Holly!" he exclaimed. "You're here. Excellent. I need you for an experiment that will hopefully revolutionize camouflage forever." He noticed Holly's vacant expression and clicked his fingers in front of her face.

"I'm listening," she snapped. "Something about an experiment with camouflage?"

"Yes. This is similar to what the humans used in one of their world wars. Very unorthodox, really, but it worked. They called it 'dazzle camouflage'. They would paint their ships striped in such a way that it was impossible for enemies to tell which way they were pointed. Incredible, really."

Holly scoffed. "So what are you going to do, paint us in stripes?"

"Jeez, what's up with you?" Foaly retorted. "That was just an example. The camouflage is this." he held up a ring and Holly raised her eyebrow.

"What's that for?" she asked.

Foaly's eyes lit up at the opportunity to explain his tech. "This ring," he started, "uses a combination of technology and magic to turn the wearer into a Human. It's very complicated, and it was incredibly difficult to cram all the tech into a ring this size." He held the ring to Holly, and she took it wordlessly and put it on. Nothing happened for a few seconds, then sparks erupted all over her body. She felt her spine elongate, along with her legs and arms. In the space of just a few seconds, Holly was a fully fledged human. Even her pointed ears had disappeared, replaced by normal human ones.

"I'd say it's a success," Holly said, touching her ears. She took off the ring and handed it back to Foaly.

"Me too," Foaly replied. "Also, what were you doing at Fowl Manor?" he asked, smirking.

Holly didn't miss a beat. "Helping take down Opal Koboi," she said.

"I know that," the centaur replied. "I meant just barely."

Holly flushed slightly, and Foaly noticed.

"Was it about the Mud Boy? Did he finally confess his love for you?" he smirked wider.

"No," Holly said quietly. "I did."

Commander Kelp clapped her on the shoulder. "Outstanding job, Captain! I knew you could do it!"

Holly smiled. "Thanks, Commander."

Foaly was no longer smirking, rather, he was smiling too. _Finally,_ he thought. "And what did he say?"

Holly's smile gave way to a dreamy expression that Foaly never thought he'd see on her face, ever.

"He loves me too."

The two other occupants of the small room exploded into cheers and whoops at the news. This went on for several minutes until Grub noticed the time.

"I think it's time for Captain Short to go home. She's had a long day."

Holly yawned, emphasizing the commander's point. Foaly laughed. "Go get some sleep, girl!" he opened the door and Holly trudged out, exhausted. She caught the next shuttle to her apartment, where she flopped into her bed, barely retaining enough energy to change out of her LEP jumpsuit. She too fell into a sleep blessed with dreams of Artemis Fowl.

Artemis Fowl woke up feeling happier than he had in several years. Holly loved him, and he loved her. But something didn't feel right. He laid in bed for several minutes trying to figure it out, then he realized that he had the strange feeling because Holly was nowhere near him. He desperately wanted to remedy that, but Holly had work, and he had family to catch up with. Undoubtedly Mother and Father would want to know more about Holly, but without her there, explaining things would be a bit difficult. Artemis groaned. If there was nothing else to do, he could always bankrupt a few more companies.

There was a knock at his door. "Come in," he said, sitting up. Butler appeared in his doorway.

"Good morning, Artemis. Somebody wants to see you."

Holly, on the other hand, woke feeling a horrible feeling of emptiness. An emptiness that could only be filled by being in the presence of Artemis Fowl. Her communicator buzzed as soon as she opened her eyes. It wasn't a coincidence. She'd had it programmed to not interrupt her during her sleep, unless it was an emergency. She knew what the message was. It was her schedule for that week, sent every monday. She picked up her communicator and was surprised to see that her schedule that week was completely empty. There was a message attached, so Holly opened it:

 _For you to spend with Artemis on the surface. Zero missions. I have already secured a surface visa. - Comm. K._

Holly was touched by the gesture. She was happy that she got to spend an entire week on the surface, and with Artemis, no less. She wasted no time in changing into 'surface clothes'. Basically, jeans and a T-shirt. She also packed nightclothes, because, as Juliet would say, _duh_.

She bolted out of her apartment, stopping at LEPHQ to thank Commander Kelp profusely. She caught the next shuttle to the surface, and was soon flying to Fowl Manor, enthusiasm building with every passing mile. Soon, Fowl Manor was visible and she dove low. She decided that she would enter in the front door, so she could introduce herself to Angeline and Artemis Senior. She raised her hand to knock on the massive oak doors that Artemis had repaired the other day, but they opened before she could knock. Butler stood there, smiling.

"Morning, Holly. Here for Artemis, I suppose?"

Holly nodded, surprised that the bodyguard had known she was coming.

"Come in," Butler beckoned, opening the door wider. Holly entered, looking nervous.

"Where are Arty's parents?" she asked.

"In the kitchen, eating breakfast. They didn't get much sleep after yesterday."

Holly chuckled. "I bet." she went into the kitchen, where Artemis Senior, Angeline, Juliet and the twins were eating something that smelled divine.

"Would you like me to get Artemis?" Butler asked.

"Yeah, that'd be great." Holly replied. At the sound of her voice, all the occupants of the room turned their heads toward the source of the unfamiliar voice.

"What the-?"

 **(A/N: Okay, okay. I know this isn't much of a stopping point, but I didn't have any other place to stop that wouldn't have made this chapter ridiculously long. Like, 2500 words long.)**

 **Please review! I want to know what you think!**


	13. The Tour

**(A/N: Warning: This chapter is fluffier than a baby bunny.**

 **Let's see if we can get to 1000 views for this month! I am currently at 833. Make it happen, my loyal minions!**

 **Enjoy!)**

Angeline recovered first.

"You must be Holly," She said. She got up and knelt to Holly's eye level. "You've done so much for my Arty. Thank you." Angeline wrapped Holly in a tender hug, which she awkwardly returned.

"Ehm… you're welcome." Holly said.

One of the twins, she guessed it was Beckett, asked, "Are you Arty's girlfriend?"

Holly smiled. "Essentially, yes. I am his girlfriend."

The other twin, who had been studying her since he saw her, said, "You are very short, and your ears are pointed. Are you a Dwarf?."

Holly was about to protest when she remembered that in the Human world, 'dwarves' were people who were abnormally short. She was saved from explaining when Artemis appeared in the doorway. Her heart rate sped up at the sight of him.

"Holly is not a dwarf, Myles. Not in the sense you are thinking of. She is an Elf, one of the First Family of Fairies. It is normal for them to be this height."

Beckett and Myles stared at her, incredulous. "You're a _Fairy_?" they asked in unison.

Holly nodded, mildly embarrassed. "Yes. I am a fairy."

Artemis strode over behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Myles, I forbid you to run any sort of tests on her. She is not one of your guinea pigs." he commanded sternly. She noticed that Myles' expression turned dour at this.

"So," Artemis addressed Holly. "You're staying here for the week? I had probably better give you a tour, seeing as you haven't had one yet."

Holly stood, intertwining her fingers in Artemis'. "I'd like that."

As the pair left the room, Angeline smiled warmly. _My little Arty's all grown up…_

Artemis led Holly down the hall. "You know where this is, obviously," he gestured to the entrance hall.

"Down the hall to the left is Butler's room, which is connected to the security booth. You are never allowed in there."

"Wasn't planning on it." Holly chuckled.

"Juliet's room is next to his," Artemis continued, "and you can go in there if she lets you. She likely will, seeing as she's been wanting to 'catch up' ever since she got her memories back. She says you still owe her a video disk of fairy wrestling."

Holly smiled. "I guess I do," she said. "What's down this hall?" she pointed down a hallway that she had never seen before. Then again, she had not seen most of the Manor.

Artemis looked down the indicated hallway. "That would be the guest rooms and library."

"Library?" Holly ran down the hall. "Which door?"

"The one at the end."

She opened the door and saw a room full of more books than the Birmingham Library. That may have been a exaggeration, but it was a _lot_ of books. Holly marveled at them all.

"This is huge," she said, slowly revolving to take in the view.

"It is," Artemis agreed. "But I have read most of the books in here, and written a few of them."

"Really? Which ones?" Holly asked.

"I would show you, but there is not sufficient time. There is, after all, a lot of Manor to tour."

Holly suddenly smirked. "What are you waiting for?" she asked, then jumped on Artemis' back, wrapping her small arms around his neck and her legs around his torso, piggybacking him.

Artemis stumbled, using a nearby chair to steady himself. "Come on, Holly," he complained. "What was that for?"

"It's my week off," was Holly's reply.

Artemis sighed. "At least give me some warning when you're going to do something like that."

"Yeah, yeah, okay. Let's get on with the tour."

Artemis groaned quietly and walked out of the library, Holly still hanging onto his back. On the stairs, they passed Butler, who stifled a laugh at the sight of Holly piggybacking Artemis. Shortly after, they could hear the bodyguard's booming laugh in the distance. Behind Artemis, Holly stifled her own giggle. Artemis rolled his eyes. As they continued to explore the Manor, he lectured Holly on the history of the Manor; when it was built, and when all the extensions were added and for what reason. Eventually they came to a long corridor with a pair of massive double doors, both made of mahogany. Artemis opened the first set, revealing a room full of instruments of all kinds; various Brass instruments hung on one wall, while woodwinds and stringed instruments hung on the other two. Three Grand Pianos lined the far wall, and hung between the pianos were several instruments that had undoubtedly been invented by the Fowls, likely by Artemis or Myles.

"I don't use this room much anymore," Artemis said, "I don't particularly care for music."

There was no response from Holly. Artemis looked behind him to see that Holly had somehow fallen asleep, her head resting on his shoulder. Artemis smirked and sat at one of the Grand Pianos. He may not have cared that much for music, but that didn't mean he wasn't exceptionally good at it. He flexed his fingers, then decided on "In the Hall of the Mountain King" by Edvard Grieg. His own obnoxious remix from when he was 8. He smirked, then started playing, quiet at first, then very, _very_ loud. During the crescendo, Holly woke with a start and almost fell off Artemis' shoulders. She shrieked and grabbed the only handhold she could find, which, unfortunately, turned out to be Artemis' neck. Artemis gagged as the combined weight and momentum of Holly dragged them both to the floor.

The only thing that saved him from crushing Holly was a combination of his training and lightning-fast reflexes. As Artemis, Holly and the piano bench tipped as one, Artemis flipped his body over, extending his left arm to catch himself, while his right arm found its way under Holly's head, protecting her from a concussion, or at least a terrible headache later. Artemis' left arm hit the floor at the same time as Holly. He grunted as his arm struggled with his weight and momentum from falling. His right arm, or rather, his hand, hit the floor and acted as a cushion for Holly's head. He set her head softly on the floor, then collapsed next to her.

"Well," Holly said, "That happened."

Artemis chuckled, standing and brushing off his suit. "'Happened' it did. I learned my lesson."

"What lesson did you learn?" Holly smirked.

"Don't play obnoxious music with you sleeping on my back."

Holly giggled, taking Artemis' outstretched hand, which pulled her to her feet. She looked up at Artemis, who was smiling.

"Would you like to continue the tour?" he asked as though nothing had happened.

Holly nodded, still smiling. "Yes."

Artemis exited the room, Holly _not_ on his back this time, and approached the other set of mahogany doors.

"Wait here," He instructed, releasing her hand. He slipped through the massive door, closing it silently behind him. A few moments later, Holly could hear muffled noise through the doors. She vaguely recognised it as music, _but why?_ She asked herself. She was answered when Artemis said from inside the room, "Come in, Holly."

She slipped on the ring Foaly had given her before she got on the shuttle, then opened the door and saw that the room Artemis had disappeared into was a ballroom, and a massive one at that. Ancient Greek-style pillars spanned the walls from floor to ceiling and expensive venetian carpet covered the floor. Above her, hidden speakers played a slow song she recognised from her Human Culture classes as 'Perfect' by a British songwriter Ed Sheeran.

 _I found a love_

 _For me_

 _Darling just dive right in_

 _Follow my lead_

Artemis approached her, seemingly unfazed by her turning into a human. _Of course he would know,_ she thought. _He has access to all of Foaly's files._ "May I have this dance?" he asked cordially. Holly took the outstretched hand, placing her other one on his shoulder. Artemis' other hand rested on her waist, strong and supportive.

 _Well, I found a girl_

 _Beautiful and sweet_

 _I never knew you were the someone_

 _Waiting for me_

They started revolving in a circle, Artemis displaying a coordination that Holly had never seen before.

' _Cause we were just kids when we fell in love_

 _Not knowing what it was_

Holly laughed. "That's for sure."

"Hmm? What's for sure?" Artemis asked. He had not been paying attention to the lyrics, rather, he had been focusing on the beautiful (and for the moment) human dancing with him at that moment.

"Never mind," Holly said, and they continued dancing.

 _But darling, just kiss me slow_

 _Your heart is all I own_

 _And in your eyes_

 _You're holding mine_

Holly moved closer to Artemis, relishing the sweet moment. Artemis moved his hand from hers and placed it on the other side of her waist. Holly, in turn, placed her hand on his shoulder.

 _Baby, I'm_

 _Dancing in the dark_

 _With you between my arms_

 _Barefoot on the grass_

 _We're listening to our favorite song_

Holly became aware that Ed Sheeran's recorded voice was not the only source of the captivating lyrics. She looked up and saw Artemis singing along to the recording. Artemis looked down at her and smiled.

 _When you said you looked a mess_

 _I whispered underneath my breath_

 _But you heard it_

 _Darling, you look perfect tonight_

Holly's heart melted as she heard Artemis say these words. Even though he was merely singing along, she knew that he meant those words with all his heart. They danced for the remainder of the song in peaceful silence.

 _Now I know I have met an angel in person_

 _And she looks perfect_

 _I don't deserve this_

 _You look perfect tonight_

When the song ended, Artemis took his hands off of her waist, and Holly felt cold where they had been. Artemis pulled her into a slow and passionate kiss, and Holly's resolidified heart grew wings and fluttered out of her chest. She could spend the rest of her life like this, and she would be just fine.

 **(A/N: What did I tell you? Fluffier than a baby bunny!**

 **Sweet goodness, I found out how to use emojis!😎)**


	14. Week-long Trip - Day 1: The Mall

**(A/N: Goodness! I had 118 views yesterday! You all are simply wonderful. Like so many of my other chapters, I barfed this one out of my toes. Nevertheless, enjoy!)**

After their dance, Artemis and Holly returned downstairs for lunch, then after chatting with Angeline and the twins, Holly ventured up to Artemis' room with him and began unpacking. Artemis sat at his desk and began to type.

Holly looked in her bag and groaned.

"What's wrong?" Artemis asked, looking away from his computer.

"I forgot to pack clothes. I packed this bag for a one-day trip, not a week-long excursion."

Artemis tapped his chin as he thought. Obviously, Holly was going to need clothes, and they could get those at the shopping mall. No, the real problem was how Holly would get said "clothes" fitted without exposing the People. Eventually, he came up with a solution.

"That won't be a problem," he said. "We can get clothes at the mall. However, you will need your morph-ring."

Holly nodded, understanding immediately. She figured she would put on the morph-ring to walk around the mall, then take it off in the changing room. The way the ring worked, whatever clothes she had on would grow to human size with her. Unfortunately, according to Foaly, it didn't work the other way.

"What are we waiting for?" she stood. "These clothes aren't going to stay clean forever. Besides, I've never been to one of your malls."

The Fowl Manor garage had four cars: the family Bentley, a custom-made emission-free Lamborghini Aventador for Angeline, a similarly emission-free McLaren F1 for Artemis Senior, and a fully self-contained (and emission-free!) Bugatti Chiron for Artemis Junior. Originally, Artemis had wanted to take his Bugatti to the mall, but was forced, to his chagrin, to ride along in the family Bentley, because Butler and Juliet had insisted on coming along.

On the bright side, while Artemis rode in the backseat of the Bentley, he didn't have to focus on driving, rather, he could focus on the beautiful (and currently Human) Holly Short sitting next to him.

Holly shifted uncomfortably. "This human body is strange. How do you handle being so far off the ground all the time?"

Artemis gave a slightly amused smile. "You must remember, the only reason you feel that way is because you are not used to being as tall as a human. Think of your experience as similar to me suddenly shooting to Butler's height."

Holly glanced at the massive bodyguard in the driver's seat. She was suddenly relieved that she was only 5'2", as opposed to Butler's over 7' mass. It wasn't long before Butler was finding a parking space in the massive parking lot of one of Dublin's many malls, then walking through the front door, attracting stares from passerby. Artemis knew why they were staring. It wasn't every day you saw a teenager in a spotless Armani suit, followed by a 7' bodyguard and two stunning women, both as beautiful as they were capable of whooping your behind in a fight. Artemis gave Holly and Juliet €200 each, and instructed them to spend as much as they needed on clothes for Holly, then the rest on whatever they wanted.

"But what are you going to do?" Holly asked.

"Don't worry about that," Artemis said. "Just worry about buying clothes that fit."

Holly nodded and joined Juliet, who was already edging toward some makeup outlet. Artemis gave Juliet a stern glare, and she sulked and led Holly toward the clothes. Artemis turned and saw the place he wanted to go: the watches. He headed for the store, Butler following in his wake. Malls, like the Bellini Theatre, were a bodyguard's nightmare. There were so many people, a team of bodyguards would not be able to keep an eye on them. Let alone Butler, even if he was the best in the world. And there were all the nooks and crannies that a score of snipers could hide in. Artemis noticed his discomfort and smiled.

"You are a paranoid old soldier, Butler. There is no reason to act as a bodyguard here. Even if someone were looking for me, it's not as if they would find me in this sea of people. Today, you are a friend, accompanying me to the mall." he paused and an amused look came on his face. "Like a normal teenager."

Butler rolled his eyes. "If only, Artemis. If only."

As Artemis entered the small store, he immediately saw the watch he was looking for. He gently picked it up off the display stand, examining it carefully. A Ballon Bleu de Cartier such as this one was not to be mishandled. He went to the register and presented the watch to the cashier.

"You would like to buy that?" the cashier asked, her eyes widening in surprise. She had been watching him since he entered; Not even a minute and this young man was already spending twice her salary on a watch, albeit an expensive one.

Inside his head, Artemis rolled his eyes. _Of course I would like to buy this. Why else would I be giving it to you?_ But aloud, he merely said, "Yes. I would like to buy this." He opened his wallet and flipped through it, counting out all €25000 of cash. He withdrew the wad of currency and handed it to the cashier. She took it wordlessly and handed the watch to Artemis. The whole time, Butler stood silent and imposing behind his young charge.

"Have a nice day," the cashier said.

Artemis nodded respectfully. "Same to you."

As Artemis entered the main throng of the mall, he caught sight of Holly and Juliet. Well, mainly Juliet, because Holly was still hidden from view by the hundreds of shoppers that frequented the mall. Juliet saw him - or rather, she saw Butler - and waved. Her arms were laden with shopping bags. When Juliet had bounded within earshot, Artemis said, "Did you spend all of the money?"

Juliet nodded. "Every last bit."

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Impressive. I was beginning to think you weren't going to need it all."

Holly stumbled into view behind Juliet. "How - in the world - do you do it?" she panted. "There's so many people - and they all stink worse than Mulch." Noticing Butler's doubting look, she clarified. "Well, maybe not _worse_. You know what I mean."

Juliet noticed Artemis' lack of bags. "Didn't you get anything?" she asked.

Artemis held up the watch. "Just one." he took off the watch he was wearing and handed it to Butler, who stowed it safely in his jacket pocket. Artemis wound the new watch around his wrist, fastening it over the median nerve. He held it up to the light.

"Oooh, flashy." Juliet noted. Holly rolled her eyes.

"You already have a watch," she said. "Why get another one?"

Artemis grinned. "I have plans for the watch I gave to Butler. This one," he held up his wrist, "is merely a backup if my project fails."

Holly nodded. "Ah." She did not press further

They started toward the entrance, stopping to admire the large fountain that was the centerpiece. Suddenly, two teenagers simultaneously put their arms around Holly's and Juliet's shoulders.

"Hello, gorgeous," the one with his arm around Juliet said.

Holly froze. She had never had someone hit on her like this. Chix Verbil had drawn the line at putting an arm around her shoulder with permission, but these boys seemed to have no lines at all. Beside her, she sensed Juliet tense up, but before Juliet could do anything, she heard Artemis' voice, cold as ice:

"I would remove your hands, if you know what's good for you."

The boy holding Juliet removed his hands obligingly, slinking back into the crowd. The one holding Holly, however, was more daring.

"Whatcha gonna do, twig boy?" he taunted.

Artemis raised his eyebrow. "'Twig boy'? Honestly, I'm surprised someone of your intellect could come up with such a well-crafted insult such as-" he chuckled derisively. "'Twig boy'." In a flash, Artemis had the teenager's arm behind his back in a very painful hold. The unfortunate young man had barely had time to laugh at Artemis for standing up to him. Now, he grunted in pain as Artemis twisted his arm.

"I may be slight," he growled. "But I have no problem breaking your arm right now." He twisted some more, and Holly could hear his bones creaking, threatening to break. At the last second, Artemis released the boy's arm, and like his partner, he scurried off into the crowd. Artemis watched him go, a look of contempt on his face.

Butler was amazed. Before his charge had been kidnapped, he could not fight to save his life. Now, he fought just as good as the average bodyguard. Obviously, there was a long way to go until he reached Butler-level fighting, but the bodyguard was impressed nonetheless.

Holly stood, mouth forming a perfect _O_ of surprise.

"Where did you learn to do _that_?" she asked, not bothering to hide her awe.

Artemis shrugged. "I did more than just place markers. I had to do something in my off time."

"Just how much 'off time' did you _have_?"

Artemis smirked. "A lot. Come, let's go home."

 **(A/N: Now** _ **that**_ **is how obnoxious teenagers need to be handled, amiright? Keep reading, and stay hyped for the Artemis Fowl movie! August 9th!** _ **I'm waiting...**_ **)**


	15. Week-long Trip - Day 1 (2): Tag

**(A/N: We did it. 1,045 views for the month of January. You guys are awesome!)**

Artemis was asleep by the time the Bentley pulled into the Fowl Manor driveway. Holly, who had returned to her original elf form, was also sleeping, her head on Artemis' arm. Butler stopped the car, and Juliet, who had also been sleeping, woke up.

"Are we home?" she asked groggily.

Butler nodded. "Yes," he said quietly. "Look at Artemis."

Juliet looked in the backseat and grinned at what she saw. She took out her mobile phone and snapped a picture. She would sent that to Artemis later.

Artemis seemed to sense that they were no longer moving, and opened his eyes. He saw Butler and Juliet looking at him, both with amused looks on their faces.

"What is it?" he asked. He attempted to remove himself from his seat, but he felt Holly's head shift a little and he instinctively stopped.

"Ah. I see." Artemis gently shook Holly awake. "We're home, Holly." he said gently.

Holly was instantly alert. "We are?" she looked around and saw the three humans all staring at her. She remembered the position she had woken up in and blushed. Seeing this, Butler and Juliet exploded into laughter.

Artemis groaned and got out of the car, stretching. He was satisfied with what had happened at the mall. He had a new watch, Holly had more clothes, and two more boys learned respect.

He disappeared into his study and fired up all his workstations. The project he was working on was extremely delicate and relied heavily on precise calibration to the user's weight. This project in particular was an upgrade to the LEP Moonbelt. It didn't have anything to do with the watch, true, but that was a different project, and it could wait.

It was fortunate that Artemis had managed to catch a glimpse of Holly's weight while Juliet got her measurements before the trip to the mall. 28 and a half kilos. _Tiny girl, Holly_ , Artemis thought as he entered her weight into the code. After a few more commands, the Moonbelt 2.0 was ready for its first test. It looked like a regular LEP standard issue Moonbelt, but instead of merely generating a low-gravity field around anything clipped to it, it also generated the same low-gravity field for the wearer. It was as if you were on the moon yourself.

After two hours of coding, testing, and troubleshooting, the Moonbelt 2.0 was finally 100% complete. Artemis transferred the code from his belt to Holly's, calibrated it to her weight, then slung them both over his shoulder. He went downstairs to see Holly and Juliet talking and laughing. As he watched from the doorway, Juliet demonstrated a wrestling move, and Artemis recognized it as the same one he had pulled on the boy at the mall. He smirked and walked over to Holly, massaging her shoulders.

"Good evening, Holly." He said. "How would you feel about a walk around the grounds?"

Holly looked up at Artemis. "Why not?" She noticed the Moonbelts around his shoulder. "What're those for?" she asked.

Artemis smirked. "I'll show you once we get outside."

Holly stood. "The sooner the better." She ran to the front door, then stopped when she noticed Artemis hadn't followed.

"What are you waiting for? Come on."

Artemis remained where he was. "Do you think I would use these in the front yard?" he called. "I think the back would be much more suitable."

Holly cocked her head. She was liking where this was going. She stalked past Artemis and out the back door. Artemis shook his head and followed her. He met her outside and she fingered the Moonbelt on his shoulder.

"So what is this for?" she asked again. "Are we flying somewhere?"

"On the contrary," Artemis replied, "We are not flying, we are _jumping_."

Holly raised her eyebrow. "Jumping?"

Artemis nodded. "Despite what you think, this is not a standard Moonbelt. I've upgraded it so that, along with generating a low-gravity field around anything attached to it, it also generates a low-gravity field around the wearer. It also boosts your other physical attributes, so you will be able to run farther, faster and longer."

"Interesting," Holly mused. Artemis handed her the Moonbelt calibrated to her weight, strapping on his own. Holly had hers on in seconds, and was testing it, but to no avail.

"Arty, this doesn't work," she complained.

"You have to flip the 'upgrade' switch," grunted Artemis, tightening the belt. Holly did so, but felt no noticeable difference. She hopped experimentally, and the jump that was supposed to take her 3 inches took her half a meter in the air. "Cool," she said.

"'Cool', indeed," said Artemis from above her. She looked up to see him floating gently to the ground from fifteen feet up. He landed gently on the ground, then did something that surprised Holly. Not because of the action itself, but what he said along with it.

Artemis poked Holly's shoulder and said, "Tag, you're it." He bounded away without another word.

Holly stood for two seconds processing what he had said, then it hit her. _He wants to play the human game known as 'tag'._ She smirked. _Game on_. She ran after Artemis, literally jumping off the walls in an attempt to catch up with her friend. _He's gotten faster_ , Holly noticed as Artemis' back inched closer at a rate that Holly was not used to. Over the wind in her ears, she was aware of Artemis laughing.

Artemis laughing. Now that was a sound Holly had never heard before. Eventually, Holly managed to blindside Artemis, jabbing him square in the small of his back.

"About time," he said. "I was afraid you had lost your touch, Captain."

"I did," Holly replied, out of breath. "But I found it." She rested for a minute, elbows on knees, then smirked at Artemis. "Come and get me."

This continued for several hours, one chasing the other all around the entire 200-acre estate. They only stopped when Butler announced it was time for dinner. They trudged in the kitchen, exhausted. Artemis grabbed a cup of water and drank it, then refilled and drank it again. He then filled it with specially filtered water and gave it to Holly, who also drank gratefully.

"Did you have a good time outside?" Butler asked.

Artemis gave an exhausted and exhilarated grin. "It was… awesome."

Holly nodded. "He's gotten really fast. I almost couldn't catch him."

Butler raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Holly simply nodded again, too exhausted to answer.

"Well, I think you two need some sleep. I think Juliet has some plans for tomorrow."

Artemis swallowed his mouthful of mushroom risotto, then said, "That reminds me. Butler, would you mind preparing a guest room for Holly? Preferably one closer to mine than not."

Butler nodded. There was an unused guest room across the hall from Artemis', and he was already planning on preparing that one.

Less than 10 minutes later, Artemis laid in his bed, thinking about the events of that day, and what the future days would hold. He smiled when he thought about what he had done to the obnoxious teenager in the mall. That jerk had deserved what he got, and hopefully wouldn't go harassing any more unsuspecting girls.

At the same time, Holly laid in the bed Butler had prepared for her, thinking about how happy she was to be on the surface, and with Artemis. She thought about their relationship, and how far she was willing to take it.

Holly realized something that night, but she couldn't remember what, because she fell asleep right after she realized it.

 **(A/N: What do you think Holly realized? Review and I'll tell you with another chapter!)**


	16. Week-long Trip - Day 2: The Movie

**(A/N: So... There's this thing... ya know? It's called 'Writer's Block'?**

 **I frikkin hate it. I've had it since the last chapter was posted.**

 **Nonetheless, thank's for persevering to the next chapter! Enjoy!)**

Artemis awoke with a start in his bed. He did not know why he woke up, or what time it was. At least he had the answer to one of those questions. He checked his bedside alarm clock to see that it was 1:24 AM. Artemis groaned aloud. His sleep schedule had never been disrupted like this before.

Then he heard it again. A scream. A female scream. Whoever was screaming sounded like they were in a lot of pain. He suddenly realized who was screaming, and possibly why.

Holly.

He jumped out of bed, quickly pulling on another shirt to compensate for the usual warmth of his suit. He hurried to the guest bedroom that Holly was currently in, and he saw Holly on the floor next to her bed, spasming violently. She saw Artemis and reached a desperate hand toward him.

"Help," she groaned. Artemis wordlessly dropped to her side and stuck the tranquilizer pad he had snagged on the way out of his room on her arm. As Holly gradually stopped spasming quite so much, her barely functional lips muttered a few words:

"Thanks… Arty. Gonna… kill Foaly."

Artemis smiled. "You're welcome, Holly."

Holly smiled back, then her face went slack, her arm dropped from Artemis' grip and her breathing became slow and deep, and Artemis knew she was asleep. He gingerly picked her up, carrying her to his room and depositing her on his own bed, for the moment.

I say 'for the moment' because Artemis, as much as he disregarded the law of the land, would never in a million years sleep with a girl he was not lawfully wedded to. It was one of the shreds of morals that Artemis had retained during his criminal days, and besides that, it just didn't appeal to him. He grabbed a spare set of sheets from his closet and a floor mat that he had no idea what it was in there for. He laid it out on the floor at the foot of his bed, then laid Holly on it. As his hand left hers, her fingers tightened momentarily around his.

Artemis smiled. "I'll see you in the morning," he said softly.

Holly didn't reply. How could she? She was asleep.

Holly awoke in a cold sweat, and for some reason yet unknown to her, on the floor. Her LEP training kicked in and she jumped to her feet. She saw Artemis' bed, and the events of the night came to her. She had woken up in the middle of the night in a terrible amount of pain, undoubtedly from the ring Foaly had given her. Artemis had come into her room and… then what? She felt something on her wrist and remembered. Artemis had tranquilized her to calm her down. Not the most conventional method, but it worked, and was definitely better than breaking bones.

Holly took a tentative step and found that she was extremely sore. She silently resolved to punch Foaly when she got back to Haven.

Holly heard a cross between a groan and a growl and several cracks and realized that Artemis had just woken up. He sat up in his bed; his hair was a mess, comparable to a modern art sculpture, and his eyes were bloodshot and had bags under them.

"Goodness, Artemis, you look dreadful," said Holly.

Artemis smiled tiredly. "Believe it or not, this is how I generally wake up. You've just never seen it."

Holly shrugged. "Understandable. Thank you, by the way."

Artemis looked puzzled. "For what?"

"Helping me, last night. If you hadn't come in, I probably would have hurt myself."

Artemis nodded. "Ah, yes. Forgive me, I am a little bit… slow… in the mornings these days."

Holly laughed. "Let's go see what Juliet has planned for us today."

Artemis groaned and got out of bed, his bare feet slapping the floor. "Knowing her, it's probably some sort of physical activity."

As Artemis and Holly went downstairs, they could hear Juliet chattering excitedly. Something about a… movie?

They walked into the kitchen and Juliet was instantly onto them.

"Finally, you guys are up!" she bubbled excitedly. "You guys are totally gonna love what I have planned for today!"

Artemis exchanged sideways glanges with Holly.

"I… bet we are," said Holly nervously. "What… exactly… do you have planned for today?"

Juliet clapped her hands. "Okay, I don't know if you've heard, but there's this movie coming out…"

Artemis nodded. He had heard, all right. In fact, he had donated a very large contribution to the recording company so they could make said 'movie'. When the cast had been announced, however, he almost regretted it.

"...And it's about when Artemis kidnapped you!" finished Juliet.

Holly looked at Artemis, miffed. "How, pray tell, do they know about that?"

Artemis put on an innocent expression. "I may or may not have published a few books about our adventures." he admitted. "But, I published them as fiction. The way we Humans work, if something is labelled as 'fiction', most people just accept it. The few that don't, well, when they search for it, all they're going to get is the fiction. It's just about foolproof."

Holly sighed. "Next time, _tell us_ when you're going to do something like that."

Artemis raised his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. Let's just see what Juliet had planned."

Juliet recognized her cue to start talking again. "Don't ask me how, but I got all four of us into the recording studio!"

Artemis raised his eyebrow. "Really?"

Juliet, by this point, was jumping up and down excitedly. "Yeah! I did!"

"When are we leaving?" Holly asked, a hint of excitement creeping into her own voice.

Juliet checked her watch. "Three hours, so go get ready!"

Holly rushed up to her room while Artemis merely sat down to eat; He was always ready to go somewhere.

"So," Juliet asked. "Did you know about the movie?"

Artemis nodded. "Of course. I follow what is going on with my books. I can honestly tell you that I was not happy with the casting choices."

Juliet's face scrunched up in a disgusted expression. "I know, right? Why'd they make Commander Root a woman? Stupid…"

 **(A/N: Ooh! a movie? That sounds like... but no... wait...**

 **The next chapter might be a little weird, but that'll be because I haven't written it yet and I have no idea what the recording process is like, or what goes on behind the scenes. Just a warning!)**


	17. Week-long Trip - Day 3: The Studio

**(A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. My laptop that I use to type these hasn't been connected to the Internet lately.**

 **Enjoy!** **)**

Two hours and forty-seven minutes later, Artemis, Holly, Butler and Juliet were all piled in the Sikorsky, flying to Longcross, England, where the recording studio was located. Butler was in the pilot's seat, and the other three were in the cabin. Juliet was talking excitedly.

"You know, they actually _built_ a Manor specifically for the movie," she was saying, "So that makes me think that there are going to be more movies than just this one!"

Artemis smiled. He was glad to see that Juliet was excited. But that was normal. She was almost always excited about _something_.

Holly, on the other hand, was proving to be a different case. Her eyes were filled with worry, undoubtedly because of the morph-ring she had to wear, and the side effects it produced. Well, _had_ produced. Artemis had tinkered with the tech inside it, and was pretty sure he had eliminated the side effect of waking up in pain in the middle of the night. Nevertheless, he had insisted that Holly keep her communicator on or near her at all times, so he could be of assistance if the need arose.

Artemis placed a hand on Holly's shoulder. "Don't fret so much, Holly." he said reassuringly. "It'll be fine."

Holly smiled, some of the worry disappearing from her face. "Thanks."

The rest of the flight passed in silence, Juliet having exhausted her supply of topics, for once. Within a few hours, their destination was visible. A large Manor, strikingly similar to the actual Fowl Manor, stood on a low hill, surrounded by recording equipment and green screens. Workmen were moving the equipment, and did not appear to be recording.

Butler landed the helicopter in a circle of concrete and as soon as the rotors stopped spinning, the director was next to the helicopter, eager to meet his visitors.

Juliet jumped out, and the director instantly recognized her. He walked over and shook her hand.

"Hello, Juliet," he said, as though he were addressing an old friend, "How've you been?"

"I've been doing well," replied Juliet. the rest of the group had gathered behind her. She gestured to Artemis and Butler. "This is my cousin, Alfonse, and my uncle, Colonel Xavier Lee."

Artemis raised his eyebrow. Juliet didn't notice and put a hand on Holly's human shoulder.

"This is my best friend, Amy."

The director smiled and extended his hand. 'Amy' took it gingerly, shaking it.

"So nice to meet you," he said, shaking 'Alfonse's and 'Xavier's hands. "I'm George Harwell, the director here. How do you like the set so far?"

the boy named Alfonse nodded approvingly, and George saw that by the way the Irish youth carried himself, that despite his age, he seemed to be in charge.

"I like it," said Amy, looking at the large Manor nearby.

"Excellent," said George, smiling. "Would you like a tour?"

Everybody gave their assent, some sounding more excited than others.

"Right this way, then."

After about a minute of walking, with the director pointing out various facts about the set, they arrived at the front door of the Manor.

"An interesting thing about this Manor," he said, "Is that somebody actually sent us the schematics, and told us to build it. The same person gave us a couple million dollars to fund this too.

As George said this, he noticed that Amy looked accusingly at Alfonse.

After an hour or so of exploring the Manor, George led them to a room that, he said, was Artemis' study. George cleared his thoat and addressed Alfonse.

"For some reason, you remind me of Artemis Fowl," he said cryptically. "And the girl next to you, Amy, looks a heck of a lot like how the author described Holly Short."

Alfonse nodded once. "Fair enough."

George was on a roll now. "Not to mention that Juliet is the name of the girl that scheduled your visit." He paused, gathering his words. "And your father, Xavier Lee - sorry - _Butler_ , is hovering over you quite protectively." He smirked, knowing he had seen past the boy's frankly pathetic disguise. For some reason, however, he didn't look defeated in the slightest, rather, he looked... relieved?

"Of course you are correct," said Artemis. "Although I would have thought you'd see past it sooner, given that the alias I used was rather well-known among the fans of my series."

Artemis noticed that George was unusually calm for someone who has just had confirmation that everything they've learned about life is a lie.

"In reality, I am Artemis, as you suspect, and this -" he motioned to 'Amy', "is in reality, Holly Short, who is on vacation, and Butler is, ah, Butler."

George was now intrigued. What had brought Artemis Fowl to the recording studio? Besides the obvious. And the way that George worked, if he had a question, he asked it. So he did, and Artemis' response was typical.

"I have a plan," he said simply, "That hinges almost entirely on this movie being one hundred percent accurate."

George's face fell. That meant that he would have to redo almost the entire cast, and a fair bit of the scenes, and the plot. The cost and time alone...

"If I may ask, what is the plan?"

Artemis sighed. "I am not ready to reveal my plan to the general public just yet. But rest assured, you will know. And I can also promise you, if the movie is as accurate as I need it, you will be very happy with the outcome, for yourself and humanity."

There was a knock on the door, and a muffled voice from outside said, "George? Are you in there? it's almost recording time."

George shook himself out of his stupor. "Yeah, I'm in here. Just gimme a sec, I have a tour."

The man on the other side of the door huffed, then said, "Hurry. We're all waiting."

George nodded, then said to Artemis. "You heard him. I have to go. Feel free to leave whenever you want." And with that, he hurried out of the study.

Holly was extremely annoyed. "Why did you do that?" she growled at Artemis.

Artemis was unrepentant. "Like I said, I have a plan. It starts with this movie being as accurate as possible." And he would say no more on the subject.

Juliet and Butler had been standing a short distance away, talking in hushed tones about what they thought Artemis' 'plan' was. Truth be told, neither of them had any clue what it was. They hadn't even known there _was_ a plan. Then again, with Artemis, that was usually the case.

A short time after the director left, Artemis decided it was time to go. They had seen the cameramen recording a scene, and oddly enough, the man that Artemis had used to publish his works was there. Artemis noticed that he was getting a _lot_ of attention.

 _This is the one instance that I don't mind someone else taking the credit_ , he thought, then, _If everything goes right, that will change._

Now, they were back in the helicopter, flying back to Fowl Manor. Holly was her elfin self, and still miffed at Artemis, but not as much as she had been earlier.

"So, what _is_ your plan, Artemis?" Holly asked quietly.

Artemis sighed. "I told you already, Holly. I will not reveal the complete plan until I am ready to. All I will tell you is that the movie, if it is accurate, will be a huge milestone."

Juliet couldn't help but overhear. "Does this mean that Commander Root will actually be a guy now?"

Artemis nodded. "Hopefully. George had plenty of motivation, I don't see why he wouldn't."

A short time later, Butler expertly landed the Sikorsky on the Fowl Manor helipad. Holly woke with a jolt when she felt the soft _thump_ of the wheels **(A/N: Sikorsky's have wheels, not skids.)** on concrete.

"We're home?" she asked.

Artemis nodded. "Yes. How are you feeling?"

Holly moved her limbs experimentally. "I feel fine. I guess the only side effect now is a little bit of tiredness."

Artemis chuckled. "That's better than waking up in pain in the middle of the night." _That means my ideas for tomorrow can go as planned._

"Speaking of night..." Butler interrupted. "It's getting late. Why don't you have some dinner and shut-eye? I don't think even Juliet knows what she has planned for tomorrow."

 **(A/N: Well... How'd you like it?**

 **Please review!**

 **Thx.)**


	18. Week-long trip - Day 4: The Date

**(A/N: Okay... so this chapter is long. Like,** _ **really**_ **long. The entire thing is one night, so I decided not to split it into two chapters, for you guys' sakes.**

 **Enjoy!)**

The next day passed rather quickly. Artemis had sent George an email with more details on how to make the movie more accurate, and Holly had watched a gnome wrestling video with Juliet. Oddly enough, Juliet had to cover her eyes halfway through, and even Butler grimaced at what he saw.

Artemis had spent most of the day holed up in his room, planning for that night, which he hoped would be special for both him and Holly. He had realized that they had shown zero affection for each other whatsoever since the tour, and Artemis desperately wanted to remedy that.

The entire time he was in his room, he was planning the perfect date. It was fortunate that he had truly fixed Holly's ring, because if he hadn't, he could not take Holly out in public. And he had no idea whatsoever where to go in Haven, and besides that, it would be a lot of trouble getting around, even if you were a friend of the People.

 _I could always show them my magic,_ Artemis had mused, but had decided against it. He already knew where the most romantic restaurants were in Dublin.

 _Romantic?_ he thought. _I would have never thought I'd use that word._

Yet here he was, using the word _romantic_.

Artemis knew he had fixed the morph-ring because Holly had told him that morning that she had not woken up once, or felt the slightest tinge of pain during the night.

Artemis did one last review of his plans, then he went downstairs, where Holly, Butler and Juliet were getting ready to eat dinner.

"I wouldn't start eating quite yet, Holly." he said cryptically as he walked into the kitchen. "Are you ready to go?"

Holly looked at him, confused. Sure, he had mentioned something about going somewhere earlier, but she had not thought he was serious. Even so, all she needed was a jacket, and one of Beckett's or Myles' would fit her fine.

"Yeah, I'm ready." she said. "Where are we going?"

Artemis grinned. "That is for me to know, and you to find out. However, you will need your morph-ring."

Juliet knew at once, but kept her mouth shut. Barely. Butler merely raised an eyebrow. Artemis noticed and shook his head.

"No, Butler, old friend. This is just for me and Holly."

Butler nodded, realization dawning on his features.

"Have fun, then." he said.

Artemis nodded back, grinning. "Don't worry, I will."

Holly returned from the hall, where she had snagged a blue jacket from a hook on the wall.

"I'm ready," she said.

Artemis looked at her, a disapproving expression on his face.

"Hmm..." he said. "Come with me. I have a more... occasional outfit for you to wear."

Holly followed Artemis up to his room, where he pulled a long, flat box from under his desk.

"Open it," he said, the barest trace of excitement laced in his voice.

Holly did so, and was astonished at what she saw. It was a dress; Black, knee-length, and short sleeves. The bodice was a simple, solid black, but the skirt seemed to be slightly reflective, and was pleated in such a way that every movement would cause it to create a 'flowing' effect. I say 'knee-length', but that was only the front half. The back of the skirt sloped all the way down to mid-calf, creating a beautiful effect. Included in the box was a pair of simple shoes; shiny and, of course, black.

"Wow," Holly gasped. "It's... beautiful. Thank you." She knew what Juliet had seemed so excited about earlier: Artemis was taking her on a date.

Artemis smiled. "I bet... it would look even more beautiful with you in it." He gently removed the dress from the box, and Holly was transfixed by its beauty. She almost didn't notice when Artemis held it out to her. She blinked, then took it.

"You can use the bathroom," Artemis said. "I'll be waiting downstairs."

Holly nodded, and went into the specified bathroom to change.

00000

Artemis was talking with Butler when Holly appeared in the doorway behind him. Artemis didn't notice, but Butler did. His reaction, Holly later recorded in her journal, was priceless, as was Artemis'. Butler stared at her, mouth agape. It was the only time Artemis could remember Butler being truly 'struck dumb'. And that's how you could have described Artemis when he turned around to see what Butler was staring at. Artemis, too, stared at Holly, but he had retained enough sense to keep his mouth shut. Openmouthedness was unbecoming of an aristocrat heir.

"Holy... Holly, you look... stunning. Wow."

Holly blushed slightly when he said this, but her subconscious couldn't help but feel triumphant. _You made Artemis say 'wow'!_

"Thanks," she said. Artemis stood and linked arms with her. He was dressed almost normally, but with a few bits of flair here and there, which, in Holly's opinion, made Artemis look more handsome than any actor could ever dream. Maybe that was just her feelings talking, but whatever. He looked _hot_.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked, almost normally. Holly nodded. There had been a jacket hanging in the bathroom that Artemis had obviously placed there for her. It fit perfectly, and best of all, it matched her dress.

Artemis walked with her out to the garage, and opened the passenger door of his Bugatti Chiron. Soon, they were driving down the Fowl Manor driveway, and Artemis asked Holly a question that had been bothering him.

"Do you know where we're going?"

Holly shook her head. "I have no idea."

"Do you _want_ to know?"

Holly thought, then shook her head. "No, I want to keep it a surprise."

Artemis smiled. "Excellent." The only thing that was keeping him from pulling over and staring at the beautiful creature sitting next to him all night was the reassurance that, if this specific plan worked, he would be able to stare at her for a _lot_ longer.

Eventually the couple arrived at the La Caverna restaurant in the heart of Dublin. Artemis had requested an isolated table for two, and had asked for 'the most romantically appealing setup' they had. The staff had not disappointed. The table itself was positioned with several others in a corner of the restaurant specially designed to reflect the noise away from it, allowing the eaters to chat in peace. Candles had been set around the table, giving the large alcove a warm glow. The other guests in the restaurant momentarily drew their focus away from their food to gawk at the couple as they sat down. They had noticed the setup and assumed that it was for some sort of government official or something. They were surprised to see that it was actually just a couple of teenagers, albeit _very_ well dressed ones.

Holly looked around nervously, noticing the other patrons' staring.

"Are you sure we're going to be able to talk in peace with everybody staring at us like this?" she asked quietly.

Artemis smiled. "Oh no. I planned this so that there would be someone else to stare at for awhile. Ah, there he is now."

Holly turned around to see a slight man walk through the door, flanked by not one, not two, but _three_ bodyguards. He looked around and nodded to Artemis. It was obvious that the two knew each other. Holly had never met him, and yet... he seemed... familiar, somehow.

"Who is that?" she asked.

"That is Giovanni Zito," Artemis replied. "He is visiting Ireland for a business trip, and I convinced him to make a little detour to this restaurant."

"Then why isn't he coming over to us?"

Artemis tapped his nose. "I told him not to disturb me, and now he knows why. Now, let's take a look at the menu."

The menu featured many things, a great chunk of them vegetarian and/or vegan. Holly chose the Italian risotto, claiming that, even though she'd only had it once, and a very small amount, it was her favorite food from the surface, rivalling even some of Haven's top chefs.

Artemis, on the other hand, preffered a medley of shark and swordfish, pan seared, on a bed of vegetables and potatoes.

Just kidding.

After taking a cursory look at the menu, Artemis also decided on the risotto. Just in time, too, because a waiter appeared at their table.

"Good evening," he said in a British accent, "I am Ian, and I will be your waiter tonight. Have you decided what you want?" He looked at Artemis, expecting a response from him. Artemis was about to nod his head toward Holly, then realized that the ordering process in Haven was vastly different than what he was used to.

"I have," Artemis replied, silently praying that Holly was listening. "I would like the Italian risotto with a side of steamed vegetables."

Ian quickly jotted down the order, then asked, "And to drink?"

"Spring water. Irish, if you have it."

Ian jotted down a few more words, then turned to Holly.

"And what can I get you?"

Holly executed flawlessly. "I'll have the same. Italian risotto, with steamed vegetables, and spring water."

"All right," Ian said. "Two Italian risottos with steamed vegetables and Irish spring water. Would you like ice in those?"

Both Artemis and Holly shook their heads.

"Excellent. They should be out in about seven minutes. I will return shortly with your drinks."

"Thank you," said Artemis with a gracious nod. As Ian left, he turned to look at Holly.

"That was flawless," he marvelled. "Where did you learn to order food at a human restaurant?"

Holly grinned. "I'm a quick learner."

Artemis smiled proudly. "Well, you did great. better than I did my first time."

Artemis and Holly proceeded to tell each other about their first times ordering food, and their biggest and funniest fails when doing so. Ian returned within a few minutes with 'the purest Irish spring water around', and breadsticks. Exactly six minutes and forty-seven seconds after Ian had left the first time, their meals arrived.

"Impressive," Artemis noted. "This must be the first restaurant I've ever been to that serves their food on time."

Holly chuckled. "I'm still waiting for some of my meals," she muttered, causing Artemis to almost choke on the bite he had just put into his mouth.

"D'Arvit, Holly," he said after he had cleared his airways, "Did you have to say that right then?"

Holly was still doubled over from the silent laughter that overtook her. She eventually recovered and spluttered out, "No, but it was hilarious."

Artemis couldn't help but roll his eyes. They made small talk throughout the rest of their meal, then Artemis stacked the empty bowls neatly and checked his watch.

"Good gracious!" he exclaimed. "We need to leave _now_."

"Why?" asked Holly, intrigued.

"No time to explain," Artemis replied, composing himself and brushing off his suit. "We need to leave now or we'll miss it."

Holly decided to not ask what 'it' was, opting to let Artemis surprise her. A good decision, as it turned out.

Artemis left a generous tip for Ian, then walked arm in arm with Holly back to the car, stopping momentarily to shake Giovanni Zito's hand. Soon, they were driving on a highway across the countryside. Artemis would occasionally glance at the sky, as though he were expecting something to fall from it onto his multi-million-dollar car.

After some time driving and talking, Artemis drove his Bugatti Chiron straight onto the beach. As the car bounced and jerked along the sand, Holly heard something bouncing in the back.

"What is that?" she asked. She could have been referring to the bouncing, or the warm glow in the near distance. Artemis was inclined to think it was the latter, because that was where Holly was staring.

"That, my dear, is our final stop tonight. And if my calculations are correct, we are right on time."

Artemis stopped the car next to the source of the glow, which was an array of even more candles, giving the empty beach a romantic feel, just as the ones at the restaurant had. Two lawn chairs had been placed next to each other, reclined so that they were nearly horizontal.

"On time for what?"

Holly's question was answered as she saw a bright light streak through the sky. She instantly knew what it was: A shooting star. She had heard of them, and seen simulations, but never, in her 90-plus years of existence, actually seen one.

Artemis opened the back of the car and withdrew the thing that had been bouncing: a metal bowl. he placed it some distance from the candles, then sat on one of the chairs. Holly sat on the other one, watching the sky intently. More stars streaked across the blackness, some white, some blue. Holly swore she even saw a pink one.

 _Show-offs._

"This is beautiful, Artemis," she said.

Artemis looked at her and smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

"You know what I like more?" Holly asked, smirking.

"What would that be, Holly?" Artemis propped himself up on his elbow and looked Holly square in the eye.

Holly's face broke into a giant grin. "You."

The grin quickly disappeared, however, when Holly saw something behind Artemis. Her face went stark white. There was a meteorite careening directly toward them.

Before she could say anything, Artemis placed a finger on her lips, silencing her.

"Don't worry," he said, not even bothering to look behind him. "It won't hit us."

Artemis was right. Holly watched in awe as the meteorite streaked mere meters above them, and landed with a loud CLANG! in the metal bowl.

Holly gave Artemis a jokingly cynical look. "Of course you would have known that something was going to land there."

Artemis smirked. "Why wouldn't I? I have plans for that particular meteorite."

"What sort of plans?"

"You'll see."

They said no more, instead opting to watch the rest of the galactic light show until it gradually slowed down, then stopped. Artemis stood, and so did Holly, yawning.

"Come, Holly." he said, putting an arm around her shoulder. "Let's go home."

Holly was so tired that she could not respond, so she just nodded, walking with Artemis to the car. Artemis helped her into her seat, then retrieved the badly dented metal bowl, putting it back in the trunk.

The drive home was silent, likely because Holly fell asleep as soon as they got on the highway. As Artemis pulled back into the Fowl Manor driveway, Holly stirred, but did not wake.

Butler, having installed a GPS tracking system in every car in the garage, was waiting for them. He seemed alert for someone that was up at 11:30 at night, but then again, that was Butler's general state of existence.

"Did you have a nice night?" he asked when Artemis had gotten out.

"I had a phenomenal night." Artemis replied. "Of course, you know where we went."

Butler nodded. The La Caverna Restaurant was a favorite of many, including him, and now Holly. However...

"Yes. What did you do at the beach?"

"I assume you have seen the news recently?"

Butler remembered then. The biggest meteor shower in Ireland's history had been tonight. Holly really was lucky to have seen it.

Artemis had gently shaken Holly awake, and now she was standing - barely - leaning on Artemis' shoulder for support.

"I'd best get Holly to bed," Artemis informed Butler factually. "I think she's a little tired."

Holly heard this comment and had to chuckle. _A 'little' tired? I don't think so,_ she thought, then, _Stupid ring. At least I'm not in pain anymore._

Artemis half-walked, half-carried Holly up the stairs to the guest bedroom she was staying in. He considered taking off the morph-ring to make it easier on himself, but decided against it when he realized that, while Holly would return to her normal size, her gorgeous dress would not.

"Holly," he said once she was in her room. "You need to take off the ring before you go to sleep."

Holly nodded. Then she did something that surprised both Artemis and her. She shuffled exhaustedly over to Artemis and hugged him tightly.

"I love you," she whispered.

Artemis recovered quickly, returning the embrace. "I love you too, Holly. Good night."

"'Night."

Artemis kissed her on the forehead, then left the room, closing the door behind him. Holly slipped off the morph-ring, then staggered into her nightclothes. She collapsed into her bed, immensely happy with the night she had spent with Artemis.

 **(A/N: Awww... There's some Hartemis for ya, Guest Reviewer. Hope you all enjoyed it.**

 **2841 words! Sweet goodness, I've never written a chapter that long, ever! I guess this makes up for chapter [5], eh?**

 **Please review!)**


	19. Week-long Trip - Day 5: Trouble Brewing

**(A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in** _ **so**_ **long. My laptop has problems, and it took** _ **forever**_ **to fix it. Not to mention that I had to rewrite this chapter like 3 times.**

 **Regardless, enjoy!)**

Artemis abruptly awoke to a _THUMP_ on his door. He groaned and checked his bedside clock. It read 4:13 AM.

He pulled on a shirt and opened the door minutely. What he saw surprised him. Holly was collapsed against his door, snoring gently. Either she had sleepwalked there, or she was too exhausted to stay awake after consciously walking to his door. Artemis suspected the former.

He opened the door more while simultaneously reaching a hand out to support the sleeping elf. Once the door was open enough, he put both hands under Holly's shoulders and lifted her onto his desk chair. She did not stir once.

"Holly!" he hissed. She woke with a start.

"What? What is it?" she said frantically.

Artemis shushed her. "Nothing's wrong, Holly. You're fine."

As Holly regained full consciousness, she realized her surroundings.

"Why... am I in your room?" she asked. "I don't remember coming over here."

When Holly said this, Artemis' suspicions were confirmed.

"You were sleepwalking," he said. "You collapsed on my door."

Holly stifled a laugh. "Oh goodness, I did?"

Artemis nodded. "Tell me, what were you dreaming about before you woke up?"

Holly hid her face, but not before Artemis registered the fact that it was rapidly reddening.

"Ah, I see." he said. "You were dreaming about me, I presume."

Holly gave a barely perceptible nod.

Artemis put a hand on her shoulder. "It's nothing to be embarassed about. If it makes you feel better, I was dreaming about you before I woke up."

Holly looked at him and smirked. Her face was no longer red. "What about me?"

Artemis suddenly had a vivid flashback of his dream: Holly in a beautiful dress, her fingers intertwined with his...

"Nothing important," he said. Holly was not convinced, but did not press further. Instead, she asked a question that had been on her mind since she had woken up moments earlier.

"Arty..."

Artemis suddenly became slightly worried, for some reason.

"D'you mind if I... sleep in your room?"

Artemis internally sighed with relief. he had thought she was going to say something different.

"In my _room_ , yes." he said. "With me, in my bed, absolutely not."

Holly nodded. She had known as much. "Thanks."

"It's not a problem." Artemis crossed the room to his closet and pulled out the blanket, pillow and sleeping pad he had laid out for Holly the night before, when she had woken up because of the morph-ring.

Artemis laid the pad and pillow on the floor at the foot of his bed, and handed Holly the blanket. She almost fell onto the pad, she was so exhausted.

When Artemis saw that Holly was sleeping peacefully on the floor, he climbed back into his own bed, resolving to, if this continued, have Butler put another bed in there.

00000

As Holly lay in her improvised bed as she woke up the next morning, she could only think about the circumstances that led up to their relationship. Nearly ten years ago, Artemis had been a cold-hearted, ruthless criminal who would stop at almost nothing for gold. Although admittedly, he was doing it to save his father, who had been kidnapped by the Russian Mafia two years before their first encounter.

Since then, him and Holly had been in several life-threatening situations together, with Holly even dying herself at one point on Hybras. She shuddered. Nobody should have to go through dying and remember it. And _nobody_ should have to see their best friend die either. But fortunately, Artemis had been able to bring her back to life. Holly only wished she could repay that debt somehow.

 _How do you repay someone who literally cheated death for you?_

As she dwelt on this thought, Holly came up with a few ideas, all of which she thought Artemis would readily go for, with the _possible_ exception of _maybe_ one. That 'one' was the most drastic measure, and also the one that would undoubtedly repay Holly's debt the most.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the same sounds Holly had heard the day before. Namely, a groan-growl and several cracks that Holly realized only then were Artemis' vertebrae loosening up. She heard Artemis' feet impact with the floor, then the bathroom door opening and closing. A few moments later, the shower turned on.

When she was reminded of Artemis, Holly lay on the sleeping pad, fondly remembering the night before. She shuddered when she remembered the meteorite. If they had been fifteen feet to the right... things would not have ended well. Then a thought struck her. _What's up with the metal bowl?_ Holly suspected that it was a part of one of his outrageous schemes. Maybe, just maybe, it had something to do with what had happened at the recording studio.

As it turned out, Holly was wrong. Dead wrong.

00000

Holly had fallen back asleep by the time Artemis exited the shower, so he quickly put a suit over his underclothes and moved her back to her room. He was surprised that she did not wake up during the trip.

Artemis quickly returned to his room and pulled the meteorite out of his desk. Then he went to his study, which was just next door, and sat at the desk in there.

Artemis' study-slash-lab had upgraded since the time he had kidnapped Holly. In fact, at the time, he didn't even _have_ his own study, rather, he had used his father's. Artemis' study/lab was packed with state-of-the-art scanners and other equipment. But all Artemis needed at the moment was a simple magnifying glass.

Artemis set the meteorite carefully on the desk, then examined it with the magnifying glass. It was about four inches in diameter, and Artemis deduced that the dominant material seemed to be gold, judging from the results that the mineral scanner came up with a few minutes later, with flecks of diamond and other precious metals scattered throughout it. X-ray scanning revealed a large ruby smushed in the center. Artemis knew that all these materials could not have formed together naturally, so he suspected that some sort of collision must have taken place that had melded them together.

From these evaluations, Artemis created a very sophisticated plan, to be sent with the meteorite to a contact of his just outside of Dublin who had all the equipment and experience necessary to carry it out.

Artemis had exited the shower at 6:00, but by the time he had finished the plans, it was 8:30, which meant everybody was likely already up and about their business.

 _That means I'll have to try very hard to keep Holly from noticing,_ he thought. Fortunately, he had a plan for that. As usual.

00000

As Artemis descended the stairs to the lobby, he knew immediately that something was wrong. Instead of the normal noises of everyday Fowl Manor, the entire ground floor was eerily silent, other than what sounded like eggs sizzling in a pan. There weren't even the footsteps of Butler audible.

Artemis was understandably concerned. He began to run to the kitchen, but before he could enter, Butler stepped out of nowhere, blocking his path.

"Butler, what is going on?" Artemis asked, irritated. The bodyguard did not reply. He simply stared blankly off at some point in space above Artemis' head, almost as if...

 _As if he had been mesmered_ , Artemis realized. No sooner had he realized this than he heard a voice from the kitchen.

Holly's. And in obvious distress.

Artemis dove in between Butler's legs, dropping the plans and the meteorite, and rolled into the kitchen. He did so silently, so that nobody knew he had entered. Even so, he used his magic to shield, just in case.

Commander Grub Kelp stood with an entire squadron of LEPRetrieval in front of Holly, who was protesting something he had said. He waited patiently until she had finished, then said calmly,

"I'm sorry, Captain," Grub looked sorry indeed. He obviously did not like what he was being told to do. "But the Council said, and I quote, 'Bring Captain Short back from that wretched Mud House. Forcibly, if required'."

Several minutes of stunned silence followed from Holly, until she was able to form an articulate, and angry, response.

"I don't care what the Council says, they can all suck on a dead stink worm. And Arty's house isn't _wretched_."

"And I might add," said Artemis, unshielding, "That the Council approved of this trip themselves, did they not? And Fairy law states that an officer must be issued a warrant before they are authorized to remove _anybody_ from _any_ dwelling - Human or Fairy. And I don't see any warrant."

After Grub got over the shock of seeing Artemis appear out of thin air, his face adopted the same apologetic expression that it had had on before. Even if Artemis hadn't been a trained psychologist, he would have had no doubt that it was 100% sincere.

"You're right," he said, "The Council did approve the trip, but they were uninformed that she would be staying at Fowl Manor. And unfortunately," he pulled out two folded pieces of paper from his pocket. "I do have a warrant. Two, actually." He handed the first to Holly, who groaned.

"Politics," she spat. The warrant she was holding was the one issuing her return to Haven. 'Forcibly, if needed,' the paper said.

Grub handed the next one to Artemis, then hurriedly backed off, in case Artemis got angry.

As Artemis read the warrant, his pale features lost whatever color they had.

"My _what_?"

 **(A/N: Artemis'** _ **what**_ **?**

 **Review please! Next chapter's gonna be** _ **really**_ **short. [pun not intended.])**


	20. Hearing

**(A/N: As promised, this chapter is really short, but it contains a HUGE plot twist. I was so bored waiting to post another one that I was just like "Screw it. Imma post another one." So, here you go.**

 **Since it is chapter 20, I think I'm gonna reiterate that I DO NOT OWN ARTEMIS FOWL. That belongs to Eoin Colfer.**

 **HOWEVER. I'm sure you all know that there is a movie coming out, made by Disney, [What? What movie?] and it's coming out August 9th. I legitimately have a countdown on my whiteboard.**

 **Now, about the 'however' part. I emailed Kenneth Branagh's 'email person' asking to play the song 'Call me Artemis Fowl' during the credits. Don't ask me why, it was a spur-of-the-moment thing. If that plays, I take full credit.**

 **Thanks for listening to my ramblings. Enjoy!)**

'This warrant is hereby issued for the arrest of Artemis Fowl the Second,' the paper read, along with the signatures of several of the Council members. Artemis noticed that Cahartez' name was not among them.

"Why am I getting arrested?" Artemis demanded.

Grub sighed. "I don't know," he admitted. "I was handed the warrants and told to come get you guys."

Artemis bristled with anger. "If I'm going down to Haven for a trial, I _will_ have my own lawyer."

"Who would that be?" asked Grub, genuinely interested.

"Why, myself, of course."

00000

"Seriously, Fowl?" Chairman Greenwood said. "I knew you and Captain Short were friends, but _this_? This is unacceptable."

Artemis sighed with exasperation. "I do not believe, and I think the _Council_ does not believe, that you or any of them have any authority over who I choose to court. That is a decision made entirely by me."

Holly sat stone-faced next to Artemis. Close, but not _too_ close. She didn't need any more ammunition for Greenwood to throw at her.

"Say for a minute you're right. Would it change your decision to know that Holly used to - and still does - love _me_?"

Both Holly and Artemis stiffened at this comment, but it was Holly that spoke first, standing.

" _Wrong_ ," she said, her voice quivering with anger. "I do _not_ love you. I never did, even if I thought so."

"How long?" Artemis asked, his face devoid of emotion, as it always was. But Holly saw something in his eyes: Uncertainty, fear, and anger.

Greenwood's face fell a little. "At least thirty years." His voice still had a defiant edge to it.

Holly leaned over to Artemis and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Arty." she said, "You're the only one I'll ever love." She saw that some of the fear and all the uncertainty disappeared from his gaze, to be replaced by the boldness that she had come to admire.

"Thank you," said Artemis softly. "Let's talk about this later, okay?"

Holly nodded. Another chance to prove just how loyal she was to Artemis and Artemis alone. "'Kay."

Holly turned to Greenwood, defiance blazing in her eyes. "I thought I loved you for the longest time, Greenwood, but I realized a few days ago that _that_ was not love. Not even close. I found _true_ love... with Arty." she cleared her throat. "I'm not trying to be corny, I'm just saying it how it is."

Artemis couldn't help but crack a smile at that, for several reasons.

Suddenly, something very, _very_ strange happened. An LEP Private burst through the doors, a look of pure terror in his eyes.

"Councilmen," he panted. He didn't seem to notice the Mud Man in the room. "Somebody's here, and they're demanding to speak with you."

"Who?" Cahartez asked, standing.

Another elf crashed through the doors. He looked a mess. Filthy rags hung off his shoulders, showing dirty, scarred and bloody skin. His face was red with anger.

"BRING. ME. KOBOI!" he roared.

 **(A/N: What. The heck. Just happened.**

 **Also, where did the mystery elf's yell come from? All of you who have watched a recent Avengers movie should know.**

 **Review!)**


	21. Return of Root

**(A/N: So, I'm sure you have seen the other chapter's I've posted... I will no longer be continuing Life Changing, AFFA, or AFSC. I have given those stories to my friend and fellow author, Lukas Turner. But rest assured, Finding Again is still mine!**

 **CaptainShort19, this is for you.**

 **Enjoy!)**

For a moment, all anybody could to was sit, stunned. The other LEP officer had wisely taken his leave. Then Cahartez got over his surprise.

"Who are you?" he demanded. "Give me a name."

The elf marched up to Cahartez, coming two inches from his face. Cahartez didn't flinch.

"I'll tell you my name after you bring me Opal Koboi." he growled.

"What do you need with her?" Greenwood asked.

The elf turned to face the councilman. "She tried to kill me!" he shouted.

Greenwood shrugged. "You're going to have to be more specific. She tried to kill a lot of people."

The elf grinned nastily. "I'll give you a hint: Chute E37."

Everybody's eyes widened. Holly stood as though in a trance and approached the elf cautiously.

"Is it really...? No, it can't be..." she muttered, as though in a daze.

The elf smiled, his face devoid of anger for the first time since he had stormed into the room. "Hello, Holly."

A glimmer of recognition sparked in Holly's eye. Tears also brimmed there too.

"Commander?" she said.

The elf placed a bloody finger over her lips.

"Call me Julius."

00000

"How?" Holly asked.

The ex-Commander motioned for them to follow him. "Come, and I'll tell you." He turned to the Council members. "I declare this meeting adjourned, or something like that."

 **0-0- Nearly six years earlier -0-0**

"Be well," he said, then an orange flame blossomed in the center of his chest.

Commander Root, instead of being blown to smithereens like he thought he'd be, was hurled upward by the blast, saved no doubt by Foaly's new upgraded suit.

 _If I make it through this, I'll give that centaur a raise,_ he thought as he careened upwards.

Commander Root struck the side of the chute a hundred or so meters up, and as he lost consciousness, he could barely make out Holly streaking upward to escape the blast.

00

Commander Root woke up some time later, laying on the rocky floor of Chute E37. A devlishly beautiful face swam into view through the pain.

"Ah, you're awake." said Opal Koboi (for of course it was she). "I'm _so_ glad you survived that. I really didn't know what I was going to do if you didn't."

"D'Arvit," groaned Root. Opal shushed him.

"Hush now," she said in a mockingly motherlike tone. "We wouldn't want you to get hurt now, would we?"

 _We?_ The thought flashed through the commander's damaged cranium as the pixie snapped her fingers. Two other pixies appeared in his vision, and Commander Root recognized them as the ones that had been the janitors at the J. Argon health clinic. The Brill brothers. One of them wordlessly stuck a tranquilizer pad on his wrist, and, for the second time in as many hours, Root lost consciousness.

 **0-0- Present Day -0-0**

Holly had tears in her eyes. "Where have you been this whole time?" she asked.

Root grimaced. "A holding cell in Opal's headquarters. Tortured for information for _six years_."

Artemis snapped his fingers. "So _that's_ what was in that room." he declared.

Root fixed Artemis with a glare. "Yes, Mud Boy. Nice to see you alive. That means Holly did her job."

"She did more than that," Artemis muttered.

"What?"

Artemis turned his head to Holly. "Do you want to tell him, or should I?"

Now something was evident in Commander Root's eyes. Something akin to fear.

Holly sighed. "Yeah, I'll tell him."

"Tell me what?" Root asked, almost nervously. Not many things struck fear into the Commander. Opal Koboi was one of them, and whatever came after the phrase 'Do you want to tell him or should I?' was the other.

"Me and Arty," Holly paused, getting her bearings. "Are... in a relationship. Boyfriend/girlfriend, or something like that."

"Oh Frond," muttered the commander, then passed out.

00000

Commander Root came to some time later, with Artemis and Holly's concerned faces above him. He sat up, groaning.

"You said you two were in a _relationship_?" He asked.

Holly nodded. "Yes."

Root rubbed his temples with his fingers. "Well, this is... unheard of... but not in any way illegal, so..."

"Would you mind telling that to Greenwood?" Holly asked hopefully.

"Telling him what?"

"What you just said."

Root waved his hand dismissively. "Sure, why not?" He suddenly seemed to notice that he was filthy and grimaced. "Tell you what. I'll go get myself cleaned up, then meet me in an hour in my old office."

Artemis and Holly nodded. "Yes, sir." they said simultaneously.

00000

As soon as Julius Root left the room, Artemis turned to Holly. "Well, that was... unexpected," he said.

"Yeah," agreed Holly, slumping back in her chair. "I wonder how Commander Kelp will react to Commander Root barging into his office, demanding to 'give it back!'"

Artemis chuckled. "We can only wonder."

00000

Commander Grub Kelp was taking lunch break in his office when the were several loud bangs on his door.

"Come in," he called, remote-unlocking the door from his desk. He choked when he saw what was apparently Commander Root storm into his office.

"What the - Commander?"

"That's me," he grunted. "Back from the dead." He strode around the desk and Grub instinctively got up from his chair.

"Back... from the dead?" he asked.

"No." Root barked, sitting in the chair. "I never was dead. Nearly, but not quite."

"Same sense of humor..." Grub muttered to himself. "Where were you?"

"Being held by Koboi." was the short answer. It was all Grub needed.

Commander Root was rummaging through the desk drawers. "You seriously don't have any cigars in here?" he asked. "I'm gone for six years, and somebody cleans out my desk? Preposterous!"

"I... didn't know you knew that word, Commander."

"I didn't. Opal did teach me a _few_ useful things. Like words, and... words."

"Oh. There's a cigar in the bottom left drawer."

Root opened the drawer and plucked the cigar out, sticking it in between his teeth and lighting it.

"That's better," he sighed as the all-too-familiar noxious cloud enveloped his head.

 **(A/N: Commander Root's alive! What?**

 **Review please!)**


	22. The Meteorite's Destiny

**(A/N: Okay. I got a review, about three hours ago, from 'No Profile'. It said, in essence, 'This story is great! Give me chapter 22.'**

 **And so I happily obliged. Here you go. MAJOR awesomeness in here.**

 **Enjoy!)**

-A few hours earlier-

Grub Kelp, after reluctantly issuing Artemis' arrest warrant, returned to the hall to remove Butler's _mesmer_. When he was done, he noticed a small package on the floor.

Being the curious individual that he was, he picked it up and opened it. A heavy item fell out with a _thump_ at Grub's feet. He looked down and saw what looked like a giant gold nugget in between his boots. He gingerly picked it up and saw that it was, in fact, _not_ a gold nugget. He could tell that much from the diamonds embedded in it. He gingerly set the stone on the floor and rummaged inside the bag some more. His hand found an envelope.

By this point, Grub was too interested to stop, even if Artemis had caught him. He flipped the envelope around and saw an address written on it.

Grub had an idea.

-Later-

After the hearing that had taken an unexpected turn, Grub finally found the address that Artemis had listed on the package. He dove low, then put on a morph-ring that Foaly had issued all the fairies going to the surface. Within moments, he resembled someone not much older than a twenty-year-old man, albeit one in a _very_ high-tech outfit.

The building that Artemis had wanted the plans sent to was a low, nondescrepit building. A blacksmith shop, to be precise. A very nice blacksmith shop. He knocked on the front door, and a few moments later, a man that seemed to be in his forties answered.

"Hello, what can I do for you?" he asked, seemingly unperturbed by Grub's outfit.

"Uh, hello," Grub said nervously. "I'm just dropping these plans off... for a friend of mine." He held out the package, and the man took it, inspecting it.

"Artemis Fowl, eh?" he finally said. "I've been expecting this. He called me earlier and told me that he would be bringing it by later today." He looked at Grub. "You don't look like Artemis Fowl. You must be one of his Fairy friends."

Grub choked. "His - _what_ \- friends?"

The man beckoned Grub inside. "Fairy friends, I said. He told me about how this was a special project for... ah, how did he say it? He said it was a project for 'a Fairy friend quite close to me.'" He took out the plans and looked at them for a moment, then his face morphed into one of absolute joy.

"Ooh!" He almost shrieked. "This is very good! I've been waiting for something like this to happen since he was a little boy!"

"What is it?" Grub asked.

The blacksmith showed Grub the papers. He gasped when he saw that on the piece of paper were plans for, among other things, a ring.

A wedding ring.

"This will be very difficult," The blacksmith said. "Very, very difficult. The ring alone may take several days, not to mention everything else. Did Artemis give you a time frame?"

Grub shrugged. "I don't know when he wants it. I would assume he would want the ring by the end of the week, but he's down in Haven now."

"What for? Seeing his girlfriend?"

Grub shook his head. "No, Holly was just at his place. He's been arrested by the Council, apparently because one councilman is jealous of her."

The old man nodded. "I can see that." He had had his own experiences with jealous exes. "I can get the ring done by probably tomorrow, but everything else will take no less than a week. You tell this to Artemis, wherever he is, okay?"

Grub smiled. "Can do," he said. "I'll be back here tomorrow to come pick it up then, alright?"

The man nodded. "See you then."

As Grub left the building, the old man looked at the papers once more, then sighed.

"This is gonna take forever."

-Now-

Grub was sitting in a chair in his office, and Artemis and Commander Root sat in a triangle.

"So, Mud Boy," Root said. "What have you been up to these past few years? Any more kidnapping?"

Artemis shook his head, smiling ruefully. "Not any Fairies, no. I did bring the Demon island Hybras back from limbo, though."

"And the other Opal?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

Root huffed. "I had figured as much, from what she told me." He changed topics. "What were you doing in the courtroom?"

Artemis immediately answered. "I had been arrested because Holly chose to spend her vacation with me at Fowl Manor."

Root's eyebrows narrowed. "That's not... that's not right. What other grounds for your arrest may they have had?"

Artemis shrugged. "None that I know of. I mean, I had some plans..."

Grub coughed. "About those plans..."

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Was I not supposed to see them? I sent them to the blacksmith you wanted."

Artemis smiled, putting a hand on Grub's shoulder. "I'm glad you did, Commander. Who knows when I'll be back on the surface? I assume you saw the plans?"

"What plans?" barked Root. He hated being left out of the loop.

Grub raised an eyebrow at Artemis. Artemis chose to speak.

"The plans that I am talking about... are plans for a ring. A wedding ring, to be precise. I plan for it to be a surprise, so I ask you to please not mention it to Holly."

"D'Arvit," Root muttered. _Artemis Fowl... and Holly... MARRIED? That is disturbing on_ so _many levels._ This was only one of the problems that Root saw with their marriage. He voiced his biggest one.

"You do realize that you will not even last a tenth of her lifetime, right?"

Then Artemis grinned, and Root knew that somehow, Artemis had cheated all laws of physics and magic, again.

"Yes, that would be a problem," he admitted, "If I didn't have the magic I do now."

"Magic... Artemis Fowl... with magic... D'Arvit." That was all the Commander could get out before he passed out, again, in his chair.

-Later-

Holly strode into the Commander's office and saw Commanders Root and Kelp both fast asleep in their chairs. Either Artemis had just told them that he had Fairy magic, or she had taken longer than she thought. Artemis sat in his own chair, apparently wide awake. It was facing away from the door, so he didn't notice her enter until she was right beside him.

"Hello, Holly." he said, kissing her on the forehead. He grabbed a chair from the other side of him and flipped it over to the side Holly was on, so she could sit.

"What did you tell them this time?" Holly asked.

Artemis smiled. "I told them about my magic. Commander Root passed out immediately, and Grub fainted when I demonstrated it. I don't think he has that much of a stomach for blood, to be honest."

Holly had to laugh at that. "True." she said. "Where is it?"

Artemis knew what Holly was referring to: The 'it' in question was the place Artemis had cut himself to demonstrate his magic. He held out his forearm and traced a path along it.

"Look, you can barely see the scar," he said. Indeed, a faint white line, four inches long, was visible, uncomfortably close to a major artery. Holly kissed the spot tenderly.

"Did it hurt?" she asked.

Artemis put his arm around her. "Of course it did," he said. "But pain is temporary, even more so if you have magic."

Holly had to doubt that statement.

"There are some types of pain," she said, "That no amount of time or magic can fix. The death of a loved one, for example."

Artemis smirked. "But I'm not dead anymore, am I?"

Holly laughed, a sound that brought Artemis straight back to his childhood, when he would laugh, young and (relatively) carefree. Then life had hit, and Artemis had no time for joy.

Until he met Holly.

True, they had started out a little *cough* rocky, but never, not even once since he was ten, had he laughed until Holly had laughed. She was contagious that way, and the fact that there was a very large chance that soon, Artemis would be with her for as long as both of them lived, made it that much better.

"No," she said. "I guess you're not." She descended into laughter again, and this time, Artemis joined in.

Their laughter was cut short when Commander Root began to stir in his chair behind the desk.

"Just what we need," he groaned. "Artemis Fowl with magical powers."

Holly snorted, and Root looked at her. "What?"

"Nothing," said Holly, hiding her grin behind her hand. "Just... I said the exact same thing when we were on Hybras."

"Hmm." Root was unimpressed. "What are we going to do with you now, Mud Boy? We can't have you running rampant on the surface with Fairy magic."

Artemis tapped his fingers together. "Ah, about that. See, I already have. I used to go on assignments for Koboi."

"Oh Frond," Root muttered. "Did anybody see?"

"No. I kept it hidden the whole time."

"Good. Now get out of my office and go home, for Frond's sake, both of you.

"Actually, Holly. I was told you were given a week to spend at Fowl Manor, am I correct?"

Holly nodded.

"And the Council took you back underground in the middle of it?"

Holly nodded again, slower. She wondered where this was going.

"Feel free to finish your week, and take another one off, if you need." Seeing Holly's startled look, he added, "You deserve it. I know how hard you must have been working."

"Thanks, Commander," Holly said, smiling.

"Don't mention it." Root waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Seriously, don't. And call me Julius!"

But as Artemis left the room behind Holly, he saw Commander Root's eye twitch in an unmistakable wink.

 _I gave you a chance, boy,_ it said. _Use it._

 **(A/N: So _that's_ what the meteorite was for! Also, do you think Artemis will use his 'chance'?**

 **Review, please?)**


	23. Plans

**(A/N: All right, all right. You convinced me. Here's chapter 23 for you.**

 **You know how in one of the previous chapters, I said that I was going to redo Finding Again? I still fully plan on doing that, but I will keep it on my account, and it'll be me writing it.**

 **My writing was horrible back then. Reading over it has given me some insight on just how far I've come these past few months in writing.**

 **Enjoy!)**

Artemis left the office and saw that Holly was heading, not toward the shuttleport, but a different direction entirely.

"Where are you going?" Artemis called.

Holly turned around. "I'm going to my apartment," she said. "I need to get some stuff for my extra week off."

Artemis nodded, a grin forming on his face. He had gotten a little anxious, because Holly's week with him was coming to an end, and the plans for the ring had only just gotten to the Blacksmith earlier that day. Now he had an entire week to perfect the ring.

"I see," said Artemis. "Do you mind if I come with you?"

Holly shrugged. "Why not?"

Artemis quickly caught up with Holly and took her hand in his. They walked like this all the way to Holly's apartment.

00000

Holly closed the door of her apartment and collapsed onto her couch.

"I thought you were getting stuff?" Artemis asked.

"I was," Holly yawned. "But it's _so_ late."

Artemis quickly checked his watch. It _was_ late. Very late. He would have been asleep by now, had he been back at Fowl Manor.

"So I was thinking we could stay at my place for the night."

Artemis sighed. "As long as you have somewhere for me to sleep."

Holly was already unfolding the futon. "Of course I have somewhere for you to sleep," she said sarcastically. "Don't you remember last time you were here?"

Artemis rolled his eyes. "Yes..."

A few minutes later, Artemis laid on the futon, still somewhat surprised that it was big enough for him, albeit only when he bent his legs slightly.

As he lay there, trying to sleep, he thought; a favorite pastime. He was currently thinking about the ring that the Blacksmith was making.

 _That's going to take a few days, even for someone of his skill._

Turns out, Artemis had underestimated the Blacksmith's skills, and his dedication.

00000

The Blacksmith, and he was known only as "the Blacksmith", worked tirelessly for the next 12 hours, slept, then worked another 18 hours, grinding and sawing, chiseling, dremelling and, eventually, polishing the meteorite into a ring, following Artemis' instructions to the letter. He had first made a practice ring out of normal steel and a chuck of quartz, to see something similar to what the finished product would look like.

It was this model that he compared the ring - _rings_ \- with now. Artemis had had the Blacksmith make four identical rings, two Fairy sized, two Human sized. The Blacksmith had no idea why Artemis had had him do that.

The ring itself was quite simple, a gold band with several tiny diamonds inlaid in it. But it was the crystal on top that would draw the most eyes.

The crystal was the ruby from the center of the meteorite, carved into a small, intricate acorn. Not more than a few millimeters around. The Blacksmith assumed that the acorn was what the Fairies associated with magic, which, in his opinion, from his limited interactions with the boy, was exactly what Artemis could be sometimes. Simply magical, in several different ways. Especially to women. And _especially_ to a woman he loved.

Around the acorn-shaped ruby was a band and claw of diamond holding it on. The Blacksmith thought that the ring was very pretty, and hoped that Artemis agreed. Something both of them would _definitely_ agree on was that these rings were too valuable to be shipped to Artemis' house via mail.

So the Blacksmith would take them to Fowl Manor himself.

00000

Butler sat on the living room couch, his head in his hands. He was devastated. He had let Artemis be taken on his watch.

 _Madame Ko will have my hide,_ he thought. _My career as a bodyguard is over for sure. What have they done with Artemis?_

Butler heard a knock on the front door. In an instant, he was at the door, hoping beyond hope.

He opened the door to see, to his disappointment, a very tired-looking, dirty and sweaty old man holding a small package.

"Is Artemis home?" he asked.

Butler shook his head. "No, unfortunately, he is not. What do you need?"

The man held up the package. "I'm supposed to give this to him. I don't suppose you could take it for me? Tell him it's from the Blacksmith. Capital B."

Butler nodded and took the package. "Thank you," was all he said. He closed the door behind the now leaving Blacksmith.

Butler took the package to the table and gingerly unwrapped it. It was about two inches long, an inch think and an inch and a half wide. Butler wondered what Artemis needed that required the help of the Blacksmith. His specialty, among being a world-renowned jeweller and crackpot inventor, was high-grade and intricate knives and other blades.

 _Maybe that's what this is,_ Butler thought with some excitement. _Maybe Artemis has decided to train himself in knife fighting. With... very... tiny knives?_

That wasn't it at all, as Butler found out. His first clue was the weight. Even as he had taken it from the Blacksmith, in retrospect, it was too light to be knives.

 _If it's not knives, then what is it? More augmented contacts? A watch laser? No, I think he has one of those in his ro - oh. Oh my... That's not possible... is it?_

Butler stared in disbelief at the four rings laying on the soft packaging.

"No way..." the bodyguard muttered.

 _What the heck do I do with this?_

Butler surmised that the best option was to wrap the rings back up, then put them in a safe place in Artemis' room, maybe in the locked drawer in his desk.

00-The next day-00

Butler awoke to Artemis' door alarm going off. He checked his bedside clock and saw that it read 4:23 AM.

Butler groaned. _Really, Artemis? You couldn't have disabled the alarm first?_

But as he looked at the security a few moments later, he saw Artemis waving furiously at the camera, most unlike the boy that Butler knew.

00

Artemis was still waving at the camera when he heard Butler's footsteps down the hall. He stopped, not wanting to embarass himself further.

"What do you need, Artemis?" Butler asked.

"I need for you to keep Holly occupied. Did the Blacksmith finish the rings?"

Butler nodded. "He came by a few hours ago and dropped them off. I put them in your desk."

Artemis nodded approvingly. "Thank you. I will need about a half hour, I need to talk with No.1, too."

Butler almost asked what for, but decided against it. He didn't need his world tipped further.

"I can do that," he said. "I'll wake Juliet, so she can help too."

"Thank you, Butler," Artemis said earnestly. "You don't know how much this means to me. Holly is in the dining room right now."

Butler nodded. "Artemis," he asked. "Where were you?"

Artemis answered immediately. "I was in Haven. I assume you heard when Commander Kelp issued my arrest warrant?"

Butler nodded slowly. Even through the mind-numbing _mesmer_ , he had been able to register, if not react to, his surroundings.

"I also slept in Holly's apartment, like I did when Opal was on the loose. Trust me when I say I needed that sleep, especially after Commander Root showed up."

It took Butler a few moments to process Artemis' words.

"Wait... Commander _Root_?"

"It's a long story," Artemis said. "I'll tell you later."

"Ah."

00

Artemis was now waiting impatiently for the video call to get through to Foaly and No.1. Eventually, the centaur's face filled the screen, or, more accurately, his nose, because he was currently tinkering with the connection.

"I think you've got it," came No.1's voice. "I can see Artemis' face. Are you okay?" he asked Artemis. "You look like you've seen something disgusting."

"I have." Artemis didn't need to try to sound mortified. He was, and he would not be able to get Foaly's nose out of his mind's eye for quite a while.

"All right, Mud Boy." Foaly sounded irritated. "That's enough about my nose. You said you wanted to talk with us?"

"I did," said Artemis, back to business. "Among other things, about Holly and I's relationship."

Foaly and No.1 exchanged glances. "What about it?" No.1 asked.

Artemis leaned in close to the camera, and said in a dead serious voice, "You cannot tell _anybody_ about this. Commanders Root and Kelp already know, along with Butler. I don't need Holly knowing either. Especially Holly, in case this doesn't work."

Foaly: "What do you plan on doing? Knowing you, it's probably never been done before, and more than likely, it's quasi-legal, at the least."

"You are correct on both counts, Foaly. What I plan to do has certainly never been done before, and as for the legality, I don't think it's _illegal_ , per se, but the Council will not take it lightly."

"What _do_ you plan on doing? You didn't answer my question."

Artemis grinned craftily. "I plan to become a Fairy."

 **(A/N: What.**

 **Review if you want more! I know you do...)**


	24. Transformation

**(A/N: So, sorry for the lack of updates for the past while, I've been grieving.**

 **The Artemis Fowl movie... has been delayed.**

 **May. Frikkin. 29th.** _ **2020**_ **.**

 **I'm so mad. Disney, why'd you have to buy Fox? Why couldn't you have waited until September or something?**

 **Anyway, long chapter. Get ready. I've decided to speed things up a little, because I'm already on Chapter 24, and not a lot has happened. So, time for stuff to happen!**

 **Also, check out Lukas Turner's versions of Life Changing and my other stories. I've heard that he only needs one more review to post another chapter on almost all his stories.**

 **Enjoy!)**

"You _what_?"

Foaly and No1 were aghast. "What do you mean, _become a Fairy_?" Foaly gasped. "That's never been done. Never."

"Neither has a Demon island been brought back from Limbo," Artemis pointed out. "Or Spelltropy healed with an extinct lemur. Or Fairy gold successfully -"

"Okay, Mud Boy." Foaly rolled his eyes. "I get it. You can do the impossible. But how are you going to do this? _Why_ are you doing this?"

"I am not ready to reveal the reason of this change just yet, Foaly. However, for your other question, I am more than willing to provide an answer." Artemis paused to take a breath. "You both likely do not know this, but I have magic. Fairy magic. Unfortunately, it was infused into me incorrectly, so I cannot regain it using the Ritual. However, if it were infused _correctly_ , I am perfectly confident that I will be able to."

Foaly nodded thoughtfully. "How does this turn you into a Fairy?"

"I was just getting to that. Since I've had the 'incorrect magic', as I call it, my hearing has gotten much more sensitive, and I've started to develop Fairy-like traits." He gestured to his forehead. "Believe it or not, my skull has thickened. Not enough to be easily visible at a mere three millimeters, but enough to prove my theory. My ears have also lengthened somewhat. Again, not enough to be easily noticeable. And if you compare my height to two years ago, you will find that I am about half an inch _shorter_."

Foaly and No1 sat still, pondering this information, while Artemis waited impatiently for someone - _anyone_ \- to speak.

Eventually, Foaly did.

"I think it's worth a shot," he said. "But there are some risks."

"Such as...?"

"First, the magic takes, but you die in the process. No amount of magic can fix that. Besides, even I don't think that's going to happen, seeing as you already have magic to begin with, so this is merely a matter of 'realigning' some things, so to speak.

"The second outcome is that the magic also takes, but it knocks you unconscious for the duration of the transformation. And because the incorrect magic took at least a year and a half to shrink you half an inch, I'm not optimistic on you coming out of the coma within four months.

"The third, last, and most likely outcome is that the magic realigns itself, and it rapidly transforms you into a Fairy on the spot, basically ridding you of your humanity, because it would see it as an 'impurity'. If that happens, there is almost a ten percent chance of death, and a thirty-nine percent chance of a coma longer than a month."

"And the chance of a coma _less_ than a month?"

"Forty."

Now it was Artemis' turn to nod thoughtfully. "So, assuming that happens, I have an eleven percent chance of coming out of it unscathed, with possibly a few hours of unconsciousness while my brain adjusts to my body."

"Why a few hours?" Foaly asked.

"When Opal infused me the first time, I was knocked unconscious for several minutes while my body put the magic where it belonged. Assuming my body literally _becomes_ a Fairy, I suspect the bout of unconsciouness will be longer, but not dramatically so."

Foaly slapped the table. "I'm game." he proclaimed. "No1, what about you?"

No1, who had been listening silently the entire time, now spoke up.

"I agree with Foaly, but you must know that magic is unpredictable. It may not take at all, because of Opal's previous infusion. And if we _were_ to infuse you, we only have a small window of time, during a night of the full moon."

"I see," Artemis nodded. "That is a risk I am willing to take. The next full moon is September 23, in two days."

Artemis had memorized the moon's cycle at Opal's insistence. He never knew why, because she herself did not need to perform the magic-restoring Ritual. And whenever Artemis needed magic, Opal would simply re-infuse him, no matter what phase of the moon. Now he found another use for this knowledge.

"Excellent," chirped No1. "I'll see you then." And with that, he left the room, leaving Foaly and Artemis alone on the video chat.

"So..." Foaly began.

"I'm not telling you, Foaly." Artemis said shortly. "The reason I am doing this is too confidential for you to know. No offense, but you have a tendency to ah... _slip up_."

"D'Arvit," Foaly muttered. He cut the line, leaving Artemis alone in his room.

00000

The next two days seemed to pass incredibly slowly. The first thing Artemis did when he woke up at 10 the second day, after checking on Holly, was review the rings. He was immensely satisfied with the quality with which they were made.

 _I made a good choice, to employ the Blacksmith. I should do that more often..._

Next, Artemis reviewed the options that he, Foaly and No1 had gone over, and made preparations for every outcome that had been discussed, and a few more that he thought of.

Now the hardest part of the day was explaining to Holly and Butler why he would be gone the next day, and possibly unconscious for several weeks.

Butler was easy. Artemis would tell him a simplified version of everything, including the reason he was doing this. That reason being, so that he could live comfortably with Holly if and most likely _when_ they were married, so that there would be no height issue between them.

Artemis did that, to which Butler's response was, "Why, Artemis? Why?"

Artemis didn't think Butler thought highly of his decision.

After careful thought, Artemis decided not to tell Holly just yet, instead opting to work on the rings themselves.

The Blacksmith, as per Artemis' instructions, had left the Human-sized rings hollow, so that when you looked at a cross-section, it would resemble a crescent, or a sideways capital C.

This was so that Artemis could integrate the morph-ring technology into the ring. All they would have to do is put the ring around their finger, and have one part touch the skin, and they would grow to Human size. Artemis knew full well that the rings were too big for Fairy fingers. That was a good thing, because whenever Holly used her own morph-ring, the ring itself would distort and appear stretched. As you can imagine, that doesn't look good on a wedding ring.

Amazingly, he completed his project without Holly knowing or suspecting a thing. Now all he needed was a test subject. He decided to use No1 for this. He would perform the tests before No1 infused Artemis with the magic.

Speaking of infusing with magic... it was almost time for Artemis to leave. He cautiously ventured downstairs, the two Human-sized rings hidden safely in his jacket pocket, protected by several layers of bubble wrap and tissue. Holly was chatting with Juliet, Angeline and Artemis Senior at the kitchen table. Time for Artemis to put his plan into action.

"Good evening, Mother, Father." he addressed his parents cordially, as per usual. He sat down next to Holly, but did not take very much to eat. He and No1 had conversed some more, and No1 had said that it would be best if Artemis did not have a full stomach at the time of infusion. Some Fairies tended to throw up, even when performing the _normal_ Ritual.

"How are you doing, Holly?" he asked. Holly looked at him, slightly concerned.

"I'm... fine," she said. "How are _you_ doing? I haven't seen you all day."

"I have an appointment tonight," Artemis explained, "and it required a large amount of... preparation, so to speak."

"Care to tell us what this 'appointment' is, Arty?" Angeline asked kindly.

Artemis inwardly grimaced. He hated lying to his mother, but now he had to, because Holly was with them. He couldn't ask to speak privately, because that would arouse suspicion.

"I'm sorry, Mother. This is a highly confidential meeting. I'll tell you about it later."

After a few seconds, realization dawned on Angeline. Artemis Senior had not yet figured it out. Angeline leaned over and whispered in her husband's ear, and realization hit him too.

"I see," he said. "Come, son. Let's talk privately."

 _Thank goodness_ , Artemis thought.

00

"So, son. What _is_ this appointment about?" Artemis Senior sat at the head of the conference table, his wife on his right, and Artemis Junior on his left.

Artemis sat a little straighter. "I am going to put it simply: I have decided to become a Fairy." Seeing his parent's surprised looks, he continued before they could respond.

"I have spoken with Foaly and No1, and we have decided that it is perfectly possible, although there is a relatively high chance that I will be unconscious for some amount of time."

"How high is 'high'?"

"There is an eleven percent chance that I will _not_ be unconscious."

Artemis I groaned. "You know that we're concerned for your safety, Artemis," he said. "We always are. But... I personally feel that if you think you can do it, then go ahead."

Artemis, admittedly, was surprised. "Just like that?"

"Arty, you're not a child anymore." Angeline said. "You're old enough to make your own decisions. Although, would you be willing to tell us why you're doing this?"

Now, Artemis loved to have his parents figure stuff out when he would tell them, instead of him telling them up front. He did this now, taking the package out of his pocket and sliding it across the table.

"Open it," he said. "And be careful."

Angeline opened the package, carefully. When she saw the contents, her eyes teared up.

"Arty..."

"What is it, Angeline?" Artemis Senior asked. He had not yet seen the rings.

Angeline turned the package, and Artemis I's eyes widened in surprise. He picked one of the rings up gingerly.

"These are... wedding rings?" he asked, just to make sure.

Artemis Junior nodded. "Yes. Wedding rings, with some tecnology implanted in them."

"What does it do?"

"It turns the wearer into a Human, as long as they're wearing it. Holly has a similar ring right now, that she uses whenever we leave the Manor."

"I assume she used that ring on your date?"

"Yes." Artemis smiled fondly when he remembered their night of romance.

His watch beeped, signalling that it was time to leave. Artemis Senior guessed this too.

"Go, son." he said. "Be safe."

Artemis had repackaged the rings and was already on his way out.

"I will, Father."

00000

Twenty minutes later, Artemis landed the Sikorsky at the same magical site that he had kidnapped Holly nearly eight years ago. Namely, Tara. No1 was waiting, ready to infuse Artemis with magic. He had loaded up on caffeine earlier, and was literally buzzing with power.

As soon as the rotors stopped spinning quite so fast, No1 trotted over to the helicopter and helped Artemis out, like the charitable soul he was.

"Are you ready, Artemis?" the warlock asked. "'Cause I know I am."

"I can see that, No1," replied Artemis. "But first, I have something I want you to try for me." He held out one of the rings. "Put that over your finger. Any one of them will do."

No1 did so, and in a flurry of magic, grew to eye level with Artemis. He now resembled a boy that couldn't have been much older than Artemis himself. His skin had changed color too, becoming deep tan, as though he spent every waking moment in the sun. His hair was blond, and had a buzz cut.

"Oh wow," marvelled the Human No1. "It worked."

"Excellent," Artemis grinned. The ring didn't appear distorted in the slightest.

No1 tested the other ring, which yielded identical results to the first. When he was his normal self again, he finally took a closer look at the ring itself.

"Artemis, what is this?" he asked. "Is this... no way... is this a _wedding_ _ring_?" His voice kicked up an extra octave when he said that, and it was clear what his hopes were.

Artemis nodded, causing No1 to shriek with joy.

"Oh, this is _awesome_!" No1 squealed. "I hoped this would happen..."

Artemis cleared his throat. "Ehm, excuse me. The sooner we get this done, the sooner I can propose."

"Yes, yes," said No1, calming somewhat. "Sorry, I just get really excited about these things. You know, Qwan just got married too, to a demoness with markings just like his." His voice dropped to a whisper, even though there was nobody around to eavesdrop. "I think that one's my mother. Imagine, Qwan being my dad." He began to laugh, short barks that made anyone who heard it tingle from the joy it emitted, not the condescending laughter that most Demons were known to have.

"All right, Artemis." he said, after his laughter subsided. "Let's get the magic in you _correctly_ this time. What I'm going to do is take the magic that you already have out of you, then I'll put it back in how it's supposed to be. I'm gonna tell you, it's going to hurt."

Artemis nodded. He had suspected as much.

No1 put his hands on Artemis' forehead, and his runes began to spiral wildly, glowing red. Artemis suddenly felt a horrible feeling of emptiness as his ill-gotten magic was extracted from him. He later related the experience to dying from the inside out.

No1 gasped as the magic entered his body. He squinted in concentration, then the rune on his forehead glowed brighter.

"All right." he grunted. "I'm going to put in the magic in now. Concentrate on where you want to put it."

Artemis barely had time to nod before they were both enveloped in a blinding blue light. The light assaulted Artemis' brain, and he could see where it was supposed to go.

Artemis 'opened the floodgates', so to speak, and let the magic in him. It quickly filled his brain, bringing with it a certain comforting warmth. The warmth spread to his whole body, and Artemis knew that he had done it.

Then the pain came.

 **(A/N: Boom. That was such a long chapter. I didn't realize how long it was until I did a word count, then I was like, oh my goodness! I wrote THAT MUCH?**

 **What's gonna happen to Artemis? How long is he gonna be unconscious?**

 **Review for the next chapter!)**


	25. The Reveal

**(A/N: So, I rewrote this thing like, 2 or 3 times.**

 **Finally, things are coming to fruition here in this chapter. Unfortunately, we don't see everybody's favorite part [I'm gonna leave that up to you to decide** _ **what**_ **exactly that is - I can't speak for everybody!] but rest assured, you will like this.**

 **Enjoy!)**

Holly woke up in a cold sweat, although she had no idea where it would have come from. She didn't generally remember her dreams, or her nightmares. This was no exception. All she _did_ remember was something about Artemis.

It was always Artemis, when she had nightmares, and in the past week or so, instead of normal dreams, her 'dreams' had been more thoughts and feelings than anything, but they were clearer than any dream her subconscious could ever conjure up.

This last night, she had 'dreamt' that Artemis was feeling extremely nervous, which was not unusual, then triumphant for what seemed like a split second, then pain. Everything was consumed by searing, unbearable pain.

Holly shuddered. These dreams were always dominated by stress and worry, but this one felt so much more _real_.

On another note, Holly suspected that these 'dreams' were more than just dreams, but something similar to one-way telepathy. There were a few records of similar instances hapening with Fairies. One or the other would save the other's life, or do something particularly important for the other, and they would develop a 'connection', so to speak.

Holly stood and stretched. As she did so, something on the bedside table caught her eye. A tablet, with a video recording of Artemis ready to play. She cautiously touched the middle of the screen, and Artemis spoke:

 _"Good morning, Holly,"_ the recording said. _"If you are seeing this, that means at least one of my plans is well under way. As such, I have something I need you to do."_ Artemis leaned in close to the camera, his gaze steady and determined.

 _"I want you, without any further delay, to return to Haven. I have a surprise that I feel you will enjoy quite a bit. I have instructed Butler to take you as far as the shuttleport, then Mulch will take you the rest of the way. The surprise I have for you is in Commander Root's office."_ And with that, the video ended.

As the video instructed, Holly didn't waste any time in getting packed for the trip back home to Haven. As she hurriedly shoved her clothes into her suitcase, she thought about what Artemis could have put in Commander Root's office.

She had no idea.

00000

Artemis, meanwhile, was sitting on a bed in the Police Plaza infirmary, trying to quell a massive headache. The stress that had filled him for the past week was finally taking its toll on him. But while that as part of the reason for Artemis' migraine, the bigger reason was the constant and sudden changes his body was undergoing.

You see, Artemis was now a Fairy. The Ritual had gone almost exactly as planned, the only kink being that Artemis had not yet finished the transformation. At this point, he was four feet exactly, and his ears were only partially lengthened. Earlier, Foaly had said that Artemis should be done 'de-growing' by the time Holly got down.

Artemis had been very glad about this, for several reasons, the first being that he only had to endure this pain for another three to five hours at the most. The second reason was that Holly was coming down, and when she did, his biggest plan yet would come to rapid fruition, hopefully with good results.

The door opened and Foaly trotted in, holding a small case of what looked like painkillers.

"Hey, Mud Boy," he said. "How's your head? Do you need anything for it?"

Artemis looked up at the centaur, his face contorted in pain.

"No, thanks. Who knows how the - _ah_ \- pills will affect me."

Artemis may have been in constant, almost unimagineable pain, but that didn't stop him from giving one of his customary lectures, albeit a short one.

Foaly shrugged. "Good point." He sat in the specially modified chair next to Artemis' bed.

"Commander Root just told me that he got a call from Butler - Frond, I can't believe he's back -, and he said Butler's on the way with Holly. They just got to the shuttleport and they're on their way down."

Despite the pain, Artemis grinned.

"Good."

00000

"So tell me, Butler. Why are we going back to Haven?"

From the backseat, Butler shrugged as best he could in the cramped space.

"I dunno," he said. "Could be something to do with Commander Root." Of course, Butler knew the real reason for their trip, but would not tell Holly, lest Artemis fire him.

"It's nothing against you," he had said. "This is simply very important to me. Besides, I doubt it will come to that."

Butler shuddered internally. That possibility was motivation enough to keep his mouth shut, even with the unlikely chance that Holly _mesmered_ him to tell her.

Mulch, who was currently driving the shuttle, picked a few beetles out of his beard with both hands and popped them in his mouth.

"You know, I saw Arty last night," he said around a mouthful of insect. "He's the one who told me to come get you."

"What?" Holly was confused. Artemis had been in Haven?

"Yeah, he told me to come to the shuttleport to pick you up. Something was off about him though... seemed a little shorter than I remembered..."

It took all of Butler's willpower not to strangle the dwarf with his bare hands, but he somehow managed, even appearing apathetic about the whole thing.

 _Mulch, if you say one more word..._

Holly merely furrowed her eyebrows. "Keep your hands on the wheel, Mulch."

 _You're one lucky Fairy, Diggums._ Butler had to resist a sigh of relief.

00000

Artemis paced the floor of his small room, getting increasingly stressed by the minute. The bleak walls reminded him too much of his quarters under Opal's custody. He needed to get out of there soon. On the plus side, his migraine had stopped, and he could now focus on getting _physically_ used to his miniaturized body, instead of dealing with the pain.

His now extremely sensitive ears heard hoofsteps in the hallway, and he turned to face the door. As he expected, Foaly opened the door and came in.

"Do you want the good news or the bad news first?"

Artemis paled. Depending on what 'bad news' there was, it could have a very negative impact on his plans.

"I prefer the bad news first. That way, the good news makes me feel better," Artemis explained.

Foaly nodded. "The bad news is that Holly has a good idea of what your 'surprise' is. The good news is that she's waiting in Commander Root's office." He paused. "There's more good news too. Butler's here as well, and I just calculated your expected lifespan."

Artemis' eyes widened. "What is it?"

"At least 1200 years."

Artemis sat on his bed.

 _1200 years?_

"That's... very good," Artemis said numbly. He had expected to live a lot longer, but _1200_ years... that was a lot longer than he had expected.

Artemis abruptly stood and snatched a small container off his bedside table.

"Excellent. Now, let's go to the Commander's office."

00000

"For the last time, Captain, _I don't know what the surprise is._ All Artemis told me was that you would be coming here soon."

"Is Artemis in Haven right now?"

Commander Root sighed. "Yes, he is in Haven. I don't know why he isn't here. Either he misjudged your commute time, or..." his eyes widened.

"No..."

Holly was understandeably concerned. "What do you mean, 'no'?

Commander Root didn't respond, instead staring wide-eyed, seemingly into space.

 _He never stares into space..._

Holly followed his gaze and had to keep herself from passing out. Artemis stood in the doorway, leaning on the doorframe nonchalantly.

It wasn't the fact that Artemis was leaning on something, which he never did, it was the fact that he _could_ lean where he was.

Artemis was three feet tall, with pointed ears.

"Wha - Artemis?"

Elfin Artemis straightened and sauntered over to Holly.

"Surprise," he sang.

 **(A/N: I know, Artemis doesn't usually** _ **saunter**_ **, but I had to make it funny for you guys!**

 **I'm hesitant to press the "publish" button because I know I'm gonna get a whole lot of reviews and it's gonna be overwhelming.**

 **But oh well, obviously I did, or else you wouldn't be seeing this!**

 **Review please!)**


	26. Everybody's Favorite Part

**(A/N: Finally! We've come to at least** _ **my**_ **favorite part! After 25 chapters, things are beginning to wrap up, though I'm still planning on having several more chapters after this, and maybe even another story... ;)**

 **Enjoy!)**

Holly stared at Artemis in shock.

"Artemis? How did you... how?"

Artemis put an arm around Holly's shoulder. "Before I made the transformation, I found out through Opal that I was a very small part Fairy; that's why she was able to infuse me with magic in the first place, albeit incorrectly. Because the magic was put in me wrong, I was unable to regain it through the Ritual. But last night, I met with No1, and he infused me properly. And now..." he gestured to his small form.

Artemis' gesture brought Holly's eyes to his midsection, where she noticed that he was significantly more muscular than she remembered. Artemis caught her staring.

"Yes, I focused mainly on building muscle mass throughout the transformation. In the moment, I wasn't sure if it would work, but... apparently it did."

Holly chuckled. "Apparently. But why did you do this? I mean, besides to be with me, of course."

Artemis went stock still. He turned his head slowly toward Holly.

"You know about that?"

Holly gasped. "I do now!"

Artemis looked confused, which is a sight to see. "Wait... you tricked me!" His face broke into a wide grin. "Obviously, my personality is rubbing off on you."

Holly was full to bursting with excitement, but she managed to keep it in, for now. She wanted to see what Artemis would do.

"Wait, wait." Commander Root interrupted. "What am I seeing here? Am I seeing this correctly? Artemis is one of us?"

Artemis nodded and shrugged. "Sorry not sorry."

Root groaned. "I need to leave." He did so, quietly muttering the whole time. Butler and Foaly came in after, both wearing sly grins.

"I see the Commander didn't take it well?" Butler asked.

"I think he needs some time to process this," Artemis said.

Foaly laughed. "I know I would. I heard everything, by the way. Now I know all about why you did this."

Artemis shot the centaur a death glare, which Holly thankfully didn't see.

"Yes, among _other_ reasons, I became a Fairy so I could be with Holly. By the way..." he turned to see a very red-faced Holly, who looked like she was about to explode with excitement.

Artemis sighed, smiling. "Well, since you're so eager..." he took the small box out of his pocket.

"Holly, you've done so much for me. When you met me, I was a heartless criminal. Now I'm a different person, a _better_ person."

"Because of you."

"Now, I want to return the favor as much as I can." He sank to one knee and opened the box.

"Holly... will you marry me?"

Holly's mind was yanked back to a few mornings ago, when she had thought about ways to repay Artemis for saving her life on Hybras.

She realized that this was the way she had thought of to repay her debt to Artemis the most.

At this point, I believe it's safe to say that Holly, ah, _exploded_. Not literally, thank goodness. She let most of her excitement out in a giant shriek of joy.

"Yes!" She wrapped Artemis in a tight embrace, shaking from tears of joy. "Yes, Artemis! I will marry you!"

Artemis merely held Holly, too full of indescribable joy and relief to say anything other than, "Thank you... I love you, Holly."

"I love you too, Arty."

Artemis held Holly for several minutes. Foaly had left to take care of something in his office, and Butler stood quietly by, tears forming in his eyes at the touching scene.

Finally, Holly broke away and kissed Artemis, the salt of her happy tears mingling with the taste of her lips.

Artemis held out the ring, and Holly looked at it, transfixed by its beauty.

"Artemis, this is... it's gorgeous. Where'd you get it?"

Artemis slipped the ring onto Holly's finger as he answered, "No store-bought ring would do _you_ justice for what you mean to me. No, this is the meteorite that fell on the beach. Remember that?"

Holly shook her head, smiling. "My Arty, always planning. Where's yours?"

Artemis chuckled. "I like the sound of that, 'my Arty'. As for your question, it's in your pocket."

"My - what?" Holly reached into her pocket to find that there was indeed a small square of tissue paper, concealing an identical ring to hers.

"A little sleight of hand works wonders," said Artemis, straight-faced as Holly took Artemis left hand and put the ring on his finger. He held both their hands up to the light, grinning.

"They look even better than I thought they would."

It was at that moment that they heard the _THUMP_ of a body hitting the ground behind them. They turned to see Commander Root's inert form, still somewhat conscious.

"No way..." he muttered. "You actually did it..." And with that world-tipping statement, the Commander 'took some alone time', so to speak.

He passed out.

Butler sighed and carried him to the infirmary, where professional medics would help ease the massive headache that he would wake up with.

Holly's face fell as she had a thought.

"Artemis, why are you doing this? You'll only live maybe another eighty years, then what? Even with your Fairy body, you're still Human."

Artemis turned to Holly. For some reason, he was smiling. "I never did finish what I was going to say. While you would be correct in any other circumstance, that any Human transformed into a Fairy through a Demon Warlock would still have their _Human_ lifespan, I'm afraid in this case, you are not.

"I told you that I had Fairy blood in me. That Fairy blood is now _me_. I am one hundred percent Fairy, complete with a _1200 year lifespan_. We'll be able to live out our full lives together."

Holly's eyes widened as she digested this information.

"You said _twelve hundred_ years? As in 1-2-0-0?"

"Yes. You won't have to worry about attending my funeral again in seventy or so years."

Holly attacked him with another hug. "I wonder how to Council will take this."

Artemis laughed. "Worst comes to worst, we run away and live on Mars. I'm already developing plans for a manned mission, so it shouldn't be too hard to make it permanent."

Chuckling, Holly broke the embrace and took Artemis' hand. "Come on, Fairy boy. Let's go see the Council."

 **(A/N: Awwww...**

 **You know what to do!)**


	27. The Second Hearing

**(A/N: You are all wonderful, so I've decided to post another chapter for your eagerly awaiting eyes.**

 **Thank you to HartemisFTW for being a constant reviewer! I love your dedication to my story and hope you stick around a lot longer.**

 **Enjoy!)**

As Artemis and Holly walked hand in hand to the courtrooms of Police Plaza, Council Member Grenwood happened to walk by them. He saw Artemis' "fairy-ness" and didn't seem surprised in the slightest. Apparently, Foaly had notified the entire Council beforehand. On the flip side, he seemed borderline angry.

"Captain Short," he said tersely. "I see you're still with the _Mud Man_." He did nothing to hide his disgust and disagreement about Artemis' change. "Here's a bit of advice from somebody who has extensively studied Mud Men and their relationships: _Leave him and never look back_. One of these days he'll propose to you, and then he'll leave you and break your heart."

Holly was shocked that Greenwood would try to blatantly tear apart her and Artemis' relationship like this. He wasn't even bothering to keep his voice down, for heaven's sake! Holly was about to do something rash, like punch him, when Artemis stepped in and explained the situation as only a furious, snarky genuius would.

"That would have been good advice, _Councilman_ , if you were talking about the typical 'cheater' Mud Man. However, I am quite the opposite. And as for your comment about the proposal, I'd say you're about... fifteen minutes, seventeen seconds late."

Greenwood looked puzzled while he tried to process what Artemis had said. After about ten seconds, Holly broke the news to him.

"What he's trying to say, stinkworm, is that he's already proposed. And I said _yes_." Her chest swelled with pride with the last sentence and Artemis had to stifle a laugh at the name she'd called him. _Note to self: Put that in your insults catalog._

A brief look of terror and astonishment flitted across Greenwood's face, then he quickly walked away, saying something about "needing to go home".

Holly watched him go, then turned to Artemis. Tears were in her eyes.

"What's wrong, love?" Artemis asked.

"It's Greenwood. I don't know if I can talk to the Council anymore because of what he said." In addition to insulting Artemis in general, Greenwood had also hit Holly's deepest insecurities. What if she wasn't worthy of Artemis? Would he ever get bored and leave?

"I don't think that's all of it," Artemis said, frown lines appearing on his forehead.

Holly lost control of her emotions, burying her face into his shoulder and sobbing, "I'm _scared,_ Artemis."

Artemis wrapped his arms around Holly and pulled her close. "If you're scared that I'm going to grow bored and leave you, you have nothing to worry about." He pushed Holly to arm length and looked her straight in her tear-soaked eyes. "You are my _world_ , Holly. I would never leave you, even if it cost me everything I have and more. _I love you_ , Holly, and nothing will ever change that."

Holly's heart melted at these words, and she knew that Artemis meant them with every fibre of his being. She hugged him again, tears still flowing from her eyes. But these were happy tears, the kind of tears you cry when somebody gives you a particularly meaningful gift, or when you find out you're going to be a parent.

"I love you too, Arty."

Fifteen minutes later, Artemis, Holly and the entire Council were gathered in a courtroom that Artemis had never been in before, presumably because all the other times he'd been in a Haven courtroom, he'd been almost too large to fit. Now this significantly smaller room seemed almost normal.

Chairman Cahartez stood and addressed Artemis.

"Here you are again, Artemis Fowl, for the second time in two weeks. What is the issue this time, other than your obvious, ah, _changes_."

Artemis held back a smirk as he imagined the Council's reactions to what he was going to tell them.

"While my transformation is part of the reason I'm here, you are correct, there is something else. Holly and I have chosen to get married." He timed the reveal perfectly so that Lope was taking a long drink of water, which he promptly spat onto the floor in front of him. Fortunately, he sat in the first row, so nobody got an unexpected shower.

Greenwood's reaction was also as Artemis had expected. He rolled his eyes and leaned back apathetically in his chair. Despite the usual control he had over his reactions, Artemis felt a sudden and overwhelming urge to punch Greenwood in his impassive face. But he musn't lose control now, with what he was going to attempt next.

Cahartez raised his eyebrows in surprise. He didn't seem to have noticed Lope's reaction.

"Married? Congatulations. If I may ask, when is the reception?"

Artemis smiled somewhat. "We haven't discussed that yet. I've only proposed about thirty minutes ago. Now, to business. I would like to request full citizenship within Haven, as well as free access to and from the city for me and Captain Short."

The Council was surprised with this request, but it made sense, given that Artemis _was_ a Fairy. And he had a separate life on the surface, which validated his other request.

"I'm all for it," piped Cahartez, raising his hand. "All in favor?"

Lope's hand shot up, as did most of the others, a few somewhat hesitantly. Greenwood's hand stayed down.

"Any opposed...?"

This time, Greenwood's hand was the only one in the air.

"State your opposition, Greenwood." Cahartez had to suppress an exasperated groan. Everybody knew that Greenwood wanted Holly for himself, since she was the only 'available' female on the force. However, that didn't stop him from trying to cover it up.

"Despite his outward appearance, Fowl is still a Mud Person. And Mud People are not allowed in Haven under any circumstance."

"Not to mention he's engaged to Captain Short." another council member muttered under his breath.

Artemis nodded slowly, gauging his response. Before he could, however, Chairman Cahartez said it for him:

"So his appearance is of concern. Artemis, do you have anything to counter this?" _Of course you do, why am I even asking?_

Artemis stood and began to pace, a habit that he found helped him think on the spot. He decided to say almost exactly what he had said to Holly. "While you would be correct in any other circumstance, that any Human transformed into a Fairy through a Demon Warlock would still have their _Human_ traits, I'm afraid in this case, you are not.

"I told Holly that I had Fairy blood in me. That Fairy blood is now _me_. I am one hundred percent Fairy, complete with a 1200 year lifespan. So there is almost no possible way that I could _not_ live in Haven."

Lope suddenly realized something; Artemis could tell by the way he suddenly perked up even farther than he already had been.

"What happens when the rest of the Humans find out about your disappearance? Doubtless there will be investigations."

Artemis' mouth widened into a crafty grin. "About that: Everybody already thinks I'm dead. If you remember, a little more than two years ago, Opal Koboi created a clone of me and killed it, while kidnapping the real me. There was a funeral and everything, so I don't think that will be a problem."

Lope seemed satisfied with this answer. Cahartez stood and boomed, "It is decided then. Artemis Fowl is to be granted full citizenship within the city of Haven, all benefits and responsibilities included. He is also granted full access to the surface with his fiance, Captain Holly Short."

For a moment, Artemis' head felt like it was being squeezed in a vise. _Fiance_. Holly was his fiance. Artemis looked at her, and saw that she was beaming. It was this moment that Artemis realized that her smile, to him, truly lit up the room. He'd rather stare at that than any piece of art in the world.

"I've contacted Foaly," Cahartez addressed Artemis alone, "He's expecting you very soon."

"Thank you," Artemis replied, barely keeping himself together. The lifelong commitment that he and Holly had pledged to make, and now the granting of his request to live in Haven was overwhelming, even for him.

After Artemis had gotten all his records in order, he told Foaly that he needed a ride to the surface with Holly. Foaly had been notified about Artemis' conditions and heartily agreed.

An hour and a half later, Artemis hung suspended by Holly's moonbelt while she flew them to Fowl Manor.

"How do you think Butler will react to your becoming a Fairy?" Holly asked.

"Honestly, I think he'd be angry at first, then simply relieved that I am alive," Artemis replied, laughing.

And that was exactly how Butler reacted. For a solid minute and a half, Butler scolded Artemis on "not checking in", to which his reply was,

"I was busy, Butler. I would have checked in, had I had sufficient time."

"And what were you so busy doing?"

"Well, all I will say is that Holly and I have not yet decided on a date for the wedding." He turned to Holly. "We should probably decide that soon."

Butler sighed, turning and walking back into the house. Meanwhile, Artemis and Holly ran to his room, where they began planning immediately.

 **(The story climaxes! It's probably going to get a little more mundane from here, but there will be another high point later on. I'm going to leave it to you to guess what that is [I'll give you a hint: Look at chapter 17 again. It's the one titled "Week-long Trip - Day 3: The Studio"].**

 **Review for more!)**


	28. Marriage

**(A/N:**

 _ **Long.**_

 **Enjoy!)**

-Three months later-

"Holly!" Artemis called from his room.

Holly perked her head up. What did Artemis need? He had been holed up in his room for the past three hours, apparently in a 'very important meeting'.

Holly opened the now unlocked door.

"What is it, Arty?" she asked.

She looked around the room to see every single one of Artemis' many screens filled with members of the Council of Haven. All of them looked exhausted, and several members' hair looked like it had been attacked by a badger. Holly had had the unfortunate chance of meeting one in the past week. It had ended with her simply torching it with her Neutrino.

Holly didn't like badgers.

Artemis turned in his seat. "Good morning, Holly. As you can see, I have spoken with the Council, and we have come to an agreement with my plan. All we need is your opinion."

 _Again with this plan..._ "What plan is this?"

Artemis grinned. "The one where I peacefully unite Fairies and Humans."

Holly was aghast. "Are you insane? We've seen how humans interact with themselves, what do you think will happen to us?"

"That is precisely why we have not begun yet." Artemis went on to explain his plan in full detail, how he had originally gotten the idea from Opal Koboi, how he planned to do it without the use of any weapons, and how the movie's accuracy played into it. Holly found that the more he explained his plan, the more she accepted it, to the point where she was actually getting excited.

"As you know," he continued. "First impressions matter. If we were to all pour out of the ground at once, I hardly think that would do any good. That's why I was thinking that we could make the big reveal at our wedding."

"I'm all for it," Holly said without thinking. She had just had the idea herself.

So Artemis and Holly, with the help of the Council, worked out a plan so Fairies and Humans could coexist peacefully once again.

 **(A/N: Be on the lookout for a fanfic from Lukas about a similar situation that doesn't go so well!)**

-Another three weeks later-

Artemis woke up at exactly seven AM, the way he had done for the past week leading up to this day. Butler was opening the curtains, allowing a rare warm sunlight to flood in.

Artemis bolted upright, even more instantly alert than he usually was.

"Today is my wedding day."

"Indeed," Butler said. "Your suit is hanging in the laundry room; Juliet just finished ironing it."

"Good. Where is Holly?"

"If I am not mistaken, she is on her way to Haven with Angeline and your father."

Artemis nodded. "Excellent." he checked his watch, kind of unnecessary since Butler had just told him the time.

"Goodness, at this rate she'll be ready before I am."

Meanwhile, Holly was already in Haven with Angeline and Artemis Senior, being serviced by an elf who was widely regarded as the best makeup artist and hairdresser under the world. Her name was Dawn, and she was about 630 years old, surprisingly young for someone of her talent.

Angeline stood a short distance away, gawking at her surroundings.

"Haven really is a beautiful place. No wonder Arty spends so much time down here."

Holly had to laugh. "Usually when he's down here, he's either in a hearing with the Council or discussing his plans, so he hasn't really seen that much of Haven."

"Is this your first time in Haven?" Dawn asked, unaware that Angeline and Artemis Senior were not actually Fairies.

"This is our first time in _any_ Fairy city," Artemis admitted. "We're not actually one of you; we're Humans, wearing these rings that make us look like Fairies."

Dawn glanced at the rings. "I suppose Artemis Fowl made those ones?"

All three of them nodded. "How did you know?" Holly asked.

Dawn tapped her nose. "News travels fast, especially in places like these. You must be the lucky lady he's getting married to today."

"That's me," Holly confirmed.

"Interesting how love works. He _was_ the one who kidnapped you."

Holly flapped her hand dismissively. "Now I couldn't be happier that he did. Besides, I've chalked it down to an unfortunate chance that we met like that. Times change and people change."

"I believe Butler told me Chix Verbil was the other option," Artemis Senior muttered to his wife, who almost choked. Chix had been their public transport pilot on the way down, and had decided to loudly announce Holly's engagement, getting a slap upside the head from Holly and earning the entire trio a lot of unnecessary attention.

Dawn laughed. "I suppose you changed him for the better."

Holly nodded. "I beat it out of him."

Dawn laughed again and stepped away. "You're all done. Take a look."

Holly held the mirror up to her face and was initially surprised at how _red_ her hair was.

"Did you dye it?" she asked.

"No, I _cleaned_ it." Dawn teased. "All that time in the chutes built up a _lot_ of dirt. I think I even found a few moon rocks in there too."

Holly turned her head from side to side, allowing her hair to swish and catch the light. In the four or so months since Artemis turned up in his room, Holly had neglected to cut her hair, resulting in it growing to fall to about her mid-shoulder blades. It cascaded down her back in loose curls, and Dawn had even added a tiara-like braid around her crown.

"It's... beautiful," she marvelled. "Thank you."

"It's not a problem," Dawn said, smiling. "It's the least I could do. Don't forget your dress!"

Holly, who was about to walk out of the door with Angeline and Artemis I, practically teleported to the other side of the room and back, her dress now in her hand.

"Thanks again!"

Artemis stood on his personal balcony, watching the skies for his bride-to-be. After fifteen minutes, he caught the telltale heat haze of a shielded Fairy shuttle. He watched as it hovered over the helipad for a moment, then landed and a small hole opened. Artemis couldn't see the details of who got out, but there were four small figures, two of which rapidly shot up to Human height. Angeline and Artemis Senior. Artemis assumed the other Fairy was Commander Root, who had volunteered to be Holly's 'father' for the occasion.

Artemis hurriedly turned and entered his room, so as not to break his promise to himself and try to get a better look at Holly. He looked at his tuxedo, laid out on his bed.

"At last," he said aloud. "I am ready." Then, in his head, _Who am I kidding?_ Nobody's _ready for a wedding. Especially theirs._

"I am as ready as I am going to get," he corrected himself, and began to change into his outfit.

Thirty minutes later, Artemis was trying not to suffocate as all his relatives on Angeline's side crowded around him, all clamoring to know how he was indeed alive and well.

"We saw you in the coffin!" Artemis' aunt Agatha exclaimed. "You were more dead than my Grandpa Charles!"

Agatha's Grandpa Charles had been dead for well over thirty years.

"That is a topic that I will explain later, once you all have more context as to what exactly is going on." Artemis' answer seemed to satisfy his relatives for the time being, but they would undoubtedly come with more questions later, rightfully so.

Butler stood in the doorway and met Artemis' eyes. Butler tapped his watch with a questioning look on his face. Artemis nodded.

 _It's time_ , the unspoken communication said.

"If I may have your attention," Butler boomed throughout the hall, which was, for him, a strange way of addressing a group of people. Normally he would fire a blank off his Sig Sauer. Needless, every head was turned his way.

"Please make your way out the north doors, the ceremony will begin soon."

After everybody had left, Artemis asked how everything was going with Holly and the preparations.

"Everything is done with the preparations, and Holly, from what I saw, is doing fine, if a little stressed."

"Understandable," Artemis noted. "Is there anybody I should be worried about? Any uninvited guests?"

"One, Holly's hairdresser from Haven. I had Foaly do a full background check, and it came up clean."

"Good. Tell her that she needs to take off her morph-ring with everybody else."

Butler nodded and turned to go.

"Also, The Blacksmith is here. You might want to greet him personally."

"I will, Butler. I will."

 **(A/N: The Handfasting vows I got were straight from an example website. However, the last ribbon was entirely my making.)**

Now, Artemis fidgeted with the cuffs on his wrists. He was standing near the altar, where the priest had directed him to go. The priest himself was attempting to make small talk with Butler, who had taken a break from being Artemis' bodyguard and was now his best man. Finding no success with Butler, he began to talk to Artemis instead.

"Nervous?" he muttered.

"Extremely. I only had about three and a half months to figure out how this works. Besides that, I'm only sixteen, biologically."

Artemis had explained his and Holly's situation to the priest beforehand, so he didn't freak out like everybody else would.

"Yes, that would make things a bit hard. Don't worry though, you'll do fine!"

"Have you _seen_ Holly? She is the most beautiful thing I've seen on and under the world!"

In typical Artemis Fowl timing, the organ, which had been playing calm choir music, switched to the Wedding March.

Artemis heard the priest's surprised gasp even as his own heart palpitated and his breath hitched in his throat.

"Good luck," he muttered, squeezing Artemis' shoulder.

Holly Short walked slowly up the aisle, arm in arm with Commander Root. Her dress was very similar to the one she had worn on their date, only it was white, and the train was much longer. Juliet trailed behind them, making sure Holly's dress didn't snag on anything.

Both of the twins were at the end, holding Artemis and Holly's rings on small poufs. Somehow, Beckett's hair had managed to stay down and he looked calm.

Artemis briskly shook Commander Root's hand, then took Holly's in his own.

"You look stunning," he said so that only she could hear.

Holly smiled, a slight red tinge appearing on her cheeks. "Thanks. You do too."

"Today," the priest boomed, "We are gathered to witness the wedding of Artemis Fowl the Second and Holly June Short." He proceeded to read off several scriptures and various quotes.

Finally, the priest read off the vows. "Will you share yourselves freely and generously with each other, making time to be together?"

"We will." Holly and Artemis said simultaneously.

"The first binding is thus made with dark blue, symbolic of Water, that your love may flow and fill you to your depths." The priest draped a dark blue ribbon over Holly and Artemis' clasped hands.

"Will you each seek to ease the other's pain and suffering, sharing laughter and joy?"

"We will."

"The second binding is thus made with green, symbolic of Earth, that your love may be wise and nurturing, and your happiness abundant." Now, a green ribbon was wrapped around their wrists.

"Will you strive to keep your romance alive through daily actions and words of encouragement?"

"We will."

"The third binding is thus made with red, symbolic of Fire, that your love may be bright and passionate." Now, a red ribbon.

"Will you both help each other to grow in spirit and wisdom?"

"We will."

"The fourth binding is thus made with light blue, symbolic of Air, that your love may be as limitless as the sky, and filled with spirit." A red ribbon was laid over their wrists.

"Will you both remember this day, and treasure your love forever, so it may never fade?"

"We will."

"The fifth binding is thus made of White, symbolic of clean beginnings, that your union may grow anew." Finally, the white ribbon was placed on their wrists. The priest tied them all together expertly.

"You are now bound together, your two lives joined by love and trust into one life."

Artemis stared at Holly, who was positively beaming. Before either of them could stop themselves, they kissed one another.

Artemis had kissed Holly many times before, but this was the first time he had kissed his wife.

"I love you, Holly." He said, for her ears only. "And I will love you for as long as we both live."

"I love you too, Artemis."

The next hour was a blur. Artemis remembered putting Holly's ring on her finger, and Holly slipping his ring on. Then a hearty greeting from The Blacksmith and the LEP. Apparently, The Blacksmith and Grub Kelp were now great friends from their chance meeting at his workshop. Already, The Blacksmith was learning how to craft Fairy technology. The rest of the hour was filled with dancing, food, and most importantly, Holly at his side.

Finally, the time came for Artemis and Holly to go through with their plan. They gathered everybody back to the pavilion and stood where they had earlier.

"Most of you know that just over two years ago, I was presumed dead. Some of you even attended the funeral. Then, five and a half months ago, I emerged from the deep, as some would say. In essence, I came back, alive and whole.

"The first person that I saw after I came back was Holly, who almost all of you don't know. That is because she is a part of an extremely secretive society known as The People. I regret to say that I myself kidnapped her at the tender age of twelve years old. _But_ , I have changed, for the better."

Several members of the audience stood abruptly. They were the officers of the LEP, who had heard Artemis' assigned code phrase, _for the better_. They went up and joined the couple on the stand.

"These men you see behind me belong to the same society. The main reason they have not yet been discovered is because despite how they seem, they are centuries ahead of us Humans in technology."

Now it was Holly's turn. "Also, the reason we haven't been discovered is because we live underground, hundreds of kilometers deep. We are not Humans, even if we look the part now." The audience looked confused, some almost frightened. "We are Fairies, meter-tall people that can live to thousands of years old."

At the mention of Fairies, several things happened. Artemis, Holly, the entire LEP, and Dawn all took off their morph-rings, returning to their original size. Confusion and panic began to arise, until Artemis spoke again.

"Please, remain seated and hear my words. I originally was a Human, but after finding Fairy ancestors, I performed a ritual that restores a Fairy's magic, becoming a Fairy in the process. Everybody else, including Holly, was born a Fairy. We are a peaceful species, developing weapons to stun, contain and protect, rather than to kill. We have been hidden from the Humans for ten thousand years for this exact reason. But the Council, me and Holly have decided that it is time for things to change. For us to help the Humans instead of hiding from them. Eventually, we would have been found, and most likely murdered. Think of it as a child who accidentally dropped a plate. If he tells his mother that he dropped the plate, then she will not get as angry as she would have if she had found the shattered remains on the floor."

Now Holly spoke again. "We thought it would be best to reveal ourselves gradually, instead of all coming out at once. That means over the next few months, in Dublin alone, Humans will see short people with pointed ears roaming their streets at night. We are nocturnal creatures; the sun bleaches our magic faster than anything else. We will be in shops, we will buy houses, but most importantly, we plan on bringing peace to Earth."

There was silence for several seconds, then somebody began to clap. The clapper stood, revealing himself to be The Blacksmith, who had forged their rings.

"I agree!" he shouted. "This world needs all the peace it can get!"

The applause spread slowly, until everybody was standing.

Artemis held out his hand, and the applause died down. "I am open to questions."

Agatha's hand was the first to shoot into the air.

"So how _did_ you come back?"

"Thank you for asking. When I went missing, I had actually been kidnapped and brainwashed by a Fairy who had a grudge on me. She created a clone of me, then killed the clone. Since clones are an exact copy, they are indistinguishable from the actual person. The only problem is that they are basically brain-dead, on account that they have no soul to inhabit the body. One thing my kidnapper had missed was the fact that, due to a complicated series of events, I had acquired one of Holly's eyes, and she one of mine. Because Holly knew about this, when she saw that the body in the coffin had two blue eyes, she knew that I was alive. But as time went on, she began to lose hope, and I don't blame her. Then one morning, two years later, I met someone who was able to help me regain my memories, and I came straight home."

There was almost no movement while everybody processed this information.

"Any more questions?"

 **(A/N: Boom! An 18 kilobyte chapter! When your talking text, 18Kb is a** _ **lot**_ **.**

 **I have decided to post my Finding Again remake on Wattpad in the near future, as soon as I figure out how to use it :)**

 **Also, Gilbert, please don't hurt me! I was about to post the chapter when you reviewed, but the next time I got on WordPad, the whole chapter was** _ **gone**_ **. I was almost done with it too, so I had to rewrite almost all of it.**

 **Please, review for more! I know some of you will have a lot to say!)**


	29. Author's Note

All right! This is not a chapter, this is a joyous note telling you all that I have posted the first chapter of my Finding Again remake on Wattpad!

You can find the story here if you replace the spaces with a period:

www wattpad com/768126632-finding-again-taken

I hope you all enjoy!

Don't forget to review it and this for more chapters!


	30. A New Home

**(A/N: So, I'm sitting here with sun poisoning, writhing in pain, and I think, "I might as well try to finish this chapter while I'm home."**

 **So I took some Ibuprofen [I don't know if that's spelled correctly], put a milk-soaked shirt over my shoulders ['cause that's apparently supposed to help with the pain{it didn't}], and finished this!**

 **Ow...**

 **[EDIT: Also, Lukas has posted a new story for the TV show 'Merlin', called 'Merlin's Love'. I watched the series with him and let me tell you, it is _amazing_! His fanfic is from Season 2 Episode 9, where Merlin meets the Druid girl. I'm not going to go into too many details, 'cause there are spoilers. By the way, my sun poisoning is hurting a lot less now, with two more Tylenol pills after the three Ibuprofen pills I took.**

 **Good times...]**

 **Anyway, Enjoy!)**

-Three weeks later-

"And according to witnesses around the Dublin area, there have been several sightings of strange Humanlike creatures wandering the streets over the past two and a half weeks." The news reporter stood in the studio, clutching the microphone so tightly her knuckles whitened. "Here we have Artemis Fowl and his wife, Holly, to explain a little more."

"Thank you, Ms. Anderson," Artemis said curtly from his chair. He promptly left the chair and began pacing the studio.

"I have done extensive research on these creatures and concluded that first of all, they are peaceful creatures, opting to negotiate rather than fight in the several experiences I've had with them." he glanced at his wife. "They also have technology decades, centuries even, beyond ours. What our computers can do in an hour, theirs can do in a minute or less. They primarily live underground, occasionally venturing to the surface to gather, ah, supplies."

Holly stood as well, joining her husband. "I myself happen to be one of these beings. We call ourselves 'The People', or Fairies."

All around the world, people stared at their screens in disbelief. Another sentient species? Technology years beyond their own? Some people were ecstatic, some skeptical. Most didn't know what to think, such was the nature of Mud People.

Artemis cleared his throat. "I am a Fairy as well. An elf, to be specific." Simultaneously, they took off their wedding morph-rings and shrunk to their regular size.

Artemis held up his ring. "This ring has Fairy technology integrated into it that allows us to appear Humanlike, so we can fit in easier." He held up another ring, this time plain aluminum with a Celtic knot etched around the circumference.

"If you see somebody wearing this type of ring, they are a Fairy. I would suggest giving them a warm welcome to the surface, and showing them around a bit if they need. You can find more information on my Website." The viewers would see a link appear on their screen. Millions would search it instantly, and have their brains bombarded with information.

After the cameras shut off, there was a collective sigh of relief. From everybody except Artemis and Holly, that is. They were used to this kind of stress.

"I think that went rather well, don't you think?" Artemis asked.

"Well, we can only see," said Foaly from behind the camera. Holly gave a little jump when she heard him speak. She was going to have to get used to the sandy-haired biped that used to be a centaur talking to her. "We already have two and a half million people visiting your website."

"That many?"

"Yeah. People are commenting on the thread in there. Most of them seem to be interested, if a little confused."

Artemis shrugged. "They'll get it eventually."

After Artemis and Holly finished talking to Foaly, they all went their separate ways, Foaly back to Haven, and Artemis and Holly back to Fowl Manor.

"Holly?" Artemis asked after a long period of silence.

"Yes?" Holly looked up from her book to see Artemis on his computer, searching for... properties?

"What do you think about moving out together?" Artemis asked. "I've lived in this house my entire life, and I personally think that with us being married and me being a legal adult, we should start looking for a place of our own."

Holly joined him at the desk. "I think it's a great idea. What about a place in Haven?"

"We could have a house there, but I think a surface home would be better in the long run, because most of the other Fairies will likely be moving here too."

Holly didn't argue; she couldn't deny that she'd wanted a home on the surface her entire life.

"I've found a few places," Artemis continued. "A thirty-acre lot housing the Tara shuttleport, and another similar sized lot about thirty kilometers away from here."

"Let's look at the first one." Holly was liking the idea of a house right next to a shuttleport.

Artemis pulled up the property information. "The best thing about this one is that it houses the actual stretch of river that many Fairies use to perform the Ritual."

"Somebody owns that?"

"Not right now. We would buy the lot and build a house on it."

Holly thought for a second. "It's better than somebody else buying it," she decided.

"Precisely what I was thinking. I will contact the company and negotiate a price."

-Another three months later-

"Artemis Fowl. What can I do for you?" Artemis had to consciously keep himself from getting too excited. He had been expecting a call for days announcing the completion of his new home.

"I am calling to inform you that your new house has been completely constructed." The man on the other end said. "Once the paint finishes drying and the furniture is set, it will be ready for you to move in."

 _Yes!_

"Thank you, Lawrence. I will be there tomorrow to supervise."

"It's no problem. I'll see you then."

Artemis hung up and let out a long sigh of relief.

"What is it?" Holly asked. "Is our house done?"

"It is. The only thing left is the furniture."

"Yes!" Holly shouted. "Finally!"

The next day, Artemis and Holly ventured to their house. This was Holly's first time seeing anything other than the plans, 3d model, and site.

It was an impressive construction, not necessarily because of its size, which was a Fairy-sized two-story house, but because of all of its features. In the back, there was a hot tub under a small pavilion on a large patio. The house itself was three stories, two above ground and a massive basement. In the basement was Artemis' lab and a private dojo for both Holly and Artemis.

The ground floor had the essentials; a kitchen, dining room, living room, and bathroom, whereas the master bedroom and two other bedrooms occupied the top floor. A set of sliding glass doors opened from the master bedroom to a balcony from which anybody on it could see the river flowing, and the shuttleport. And of course, it was packed with space for security features that would be added by Artemis in the near future.

Bushes had been planted all around the house, simultaneously adding to the charm while hiding some of the security features, such as the gas vents in case of an unruly mob.

However, the most impressive part of this construction was that, with a flick of a lever, the entire house grew to Human size, the basement taking advantage of spatial alteration hardware that Foaly had produced.

Holly stared in awe during the entire tour, marvelling at the design and features. When they both walked out of the front door, they saw the truck with all their furniture open and being unloaded. Every single piece of furniture that they needed was in there. Custom-made Fairy-sized, of course. Somehow, even Holly's futon from Haven had made its way in there, with help from Foaly, no doubt.

An hour and a half of furniture-positioning later, Artemis and Holly's house was complete.

"I love it," Holly said.

 **(A/N: There ya go. Artemis and Holly have a new house!**

 **Review for more!)**


	31. The Final Day

**(Okay. I am** _ **so**_ **sorry that I haven't updated in so long. I had a really busy couple weeks.**

 **So, with that said...**

 **I've decided to ditch the whole 'Daniel' thing, because that's an entirely different story and will be impossible to fit into this. So I've deleted that chapter, and this one will be THE LAST CHAPTER OF FINDING AGAIN.**

 **That's right, after 31 chapters and almost a year of fun, it's all coming to an end.**

 **I'm sorry to let go of this story, but I've been expanding to other fandoms [Don't worry, I'll still be active in AF] and have lost valuable time writing this one. I've been experiencing writer's block as well, so I think it would be a good idea to start fresh with another story.**

 **Thanks for all of your support, and...**

 **ENJOY!**

 **[EDIT: I didn't realize that the chapter would take awhile to delete, so I apologize if any of you were confused])**

 ****1,000-ish years later****

Artemis Fowl woke up next to the love of his life. He smiled when he saw Holly's sleeping form, a little small even by Fairy standards. He'd woken up to that sight almost every single day for ten centuries, in the same house, same bed. They'd had four children, all of whom grew up to be massively successful entrepreneurs, except their youngest, who also manufactured machines.

His name was Glenn, after the place where Artemis and Holly had met so many years ago. When his parents had found out about his passion, they were surprised, but helped him flourish in it. In the space of just a few months, he went from toy cars, to actual cars, to flying machines, to spacecraft. By age twenty, he'd built and patented several models of wings, for both Humans and Fairies. Soon after that, he was practically swimming in money, which he used to fund hundreds of projects around the globe, under _and_ over. His older siblings often went to him for advice, and weren't jealous of him in the slightest. As a matter of fact, Glenn was almost jealous of his siblings. Relatively speaking, their jobs were a piece of cake. But that's a story for another time.

Artemis shifted to get out of bed and start his day. His small movements disturbed Holly beside him, waking her up. She was a light sleeper, and this tended to happen often. Especially now that they were both nearing the end of their lives.

"Morning," she murmured, stretching as she sat up.

"Good morning, Holly." Artemis bent down and kissed his wife on the forehead softly.

"Today's the day, Arty. We'll finally see all our old friends."

Artemis smiled. "Yes. I especially miss Butler."

Artemis and Holly had been expecting to pass today, ever since it had been confirmed by Foaly's great-grandson, who'd invented a device that, based on your current and past health, predicted your day of death, barring any accident. Today was that day, and they were both anxious for it. Artemis had finalized his Last Will and Testament, instructing that all of his belongings be divided equally among his posterity, and his house was to be kept in pristine condition, for his family to use.

Death was one thing that the People and Humans had come to accept, and even to enjoy. To them, death symbolized a release from the burdens of life, an advancement into the 'great unknown', which was the afterlife.

Artemis had called a conference on his death date, where he and Holly would speak to essentially the entire world population, through both the massive audience in front of them and several TV stations throughout the Earth and other planets. They would thank them for being able to coexist peacefully; there had not been a single war after the uproar of the initial reveal.

After the speech, Artemis and Holly would retire to their home, where they would begin their last journey together into the afterlife.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Artemis called to the crowd in front of him, totaling more than thirteen million Humans and Fairies. "Today is a day of great joy, and for some, sadness. Today is the day that I and my beloved wife, Holly, pass after a thousand years of peace."

This announcement was met with a roar of applause. Peace was one thing that everybody loved, and loved to hear about.

"We'd like to thank you all," Holly continued after the applause had died down, "Without the constant efforts of peace from both Fairies and Humans, we would likely be a world torn by war and pain and hatred for one another. Instead, we found similarities, ways to get along. And the result of that is all around you."

"I'd like to make one last request, on behalf of me and Holly," Artemis said. "We earnestly request that you continue this peaceful relationship, and never let yourselves divide again."

"We thank you all, and our time has come. For life!" Artemis shouted.

The voices of thirteen million people echoed back: "FOR LIFE!"

"For peace!" Holly cried.

"FOR PEACE!"

"For love!" Artemis and Holly yelled simultaneously.

"FOR LOVE!" This shout was the loudest yet, followed by cheers and thunderous applause.

Artemis and Holly exited the stage quickly; the short speech and shouting had drained them more than they had thought. They could feel their last vestiges of life eroding. They had a matter of hours left in them, if they held on.

A family friend drove the couple to their home, where their children and their wives were waiting. Artemis sank into the love seat at the end of the room, his arm around his wife. He addressed his oldest first.

"Julius, as my oldest, I leave my house to you, to care for and use with the rest of the family, along with your share of my other possessions. Take care of it, please. In my bedroom, you will find a button on my bedpost. Press it and see what you find."

Julius nodded, smiling sadly. He wasn't ready for his dad to die. Then again, what child ever is?

"Elias, my second. I leave you this." Artemis handed his son eight extremely old books. Elias could just make out the title on them:

1\. Artemis Fowl

2\. Artemis Fowl: The Arctic incident

3\. Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code

4\. Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception

5\. Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony

6\. Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox

7\. Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex

8\. Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian

Elias looked up at his father, stunned.

"I never knew you had a book series."

Artemis nodded, smiling. "I did. And those books are a few of the original copies. They're over a thousand years old, so take care of them. These are, of course, in addition to your share of my possessions."

"Lukas. My third and most difficult child," Everybody had to refrain from laughing when Artemis said this.

"Lukas, I leave to you my library in the original Fowl Manor. I'm surprised it's lasted this long," he added. "Use it wisely, and may you find things that you never knew existed." He handed Lukas a piece of paper. On it read,

 _Push in the book with the title: Artemis Fowl: His Life and Legacy. You may find something interesting._

Lukas smiled at his dad. "Thanks."

"It's not a problem. Keep that safe, and don't tell anybody about it. Again, this is on top of your share, blah blah blah."

Lukas nodded, and everybody snickered at Artemis' humor.

Finally, it was Glenn's turn.

"Glenn, my youngest. I am so proud of your achievements in life. I have nothing left to give, except my reassurance that you are doing very well in life, and that I love you." Artemis stood to hug his son, and as he did so, he handed Glenn another piece of paper. He wouldn't read it until later, but on it were three words, and an explanation:

 _Aurum potestas est. The password to my computers. I never gave any of you details on how your mother and I met, so hopefully my files will give you context. I know that knowledge is one thing you have always pursued, and this will give you more on the one topic you never knew enough of. Share the story with the world, but tell it to your siblings first._

Then Artemis addressed the wives of his children.

"You all have done my children a world of good. I ask you to continue that, and never waver in your loyalty and friendship."

An hour later, Artemis and Holly laid once again in their bed. They had minutes left, and wanted to spend them with each other.

"Holly... what do you want your last words to be?"

Holly had been thinking about this question. "I want them to be... I love you."

Artemis smiled. "I love you too, Holly."

With those final words, Artemis and Holly Fowl passed away peacefully in each other's arms.

Julius, as he had promised, kept the house in perfect condition, and used it mainly for family gatherings. He was happy with his share, as well as everybody else. He pressed the button, like Artemis had said, and found ancient manuscripts detailing his father's life before, during and after he met Holly.

Elias read the books over and over hundreds of times. He found a note in the front of _The Last Guardian_ reading:

 _This book was purely fictional, a figment of my imagination. You may find what actually happened online at fanfiction,net/s/13133854, titled Finding Again. I've written it under the pseudonym Andrew Smithers, but most people may have figured out 'Andrew's' true identity by now._

Lukas read every book in the library before taking the note's advice and pressing the book that Artemis specified. The adjoining wall opened to reveal a second, somewhat smaller library inside, containing, among other things, the story of how his parents had met.

Glenn waited for a long time before finally booting up Artemis' old computers. They were an ancient model, from the early 2000's. He read the story over and over, absorbing every detail. Eventually, he did share the story with his family, who told everybody else about what they had found. They compiled all of the stories into one, and that was published to the world, along with how the four men had found it.

Artemis Fowl woke up to a blinding white light. He covered his eyes and squinted until it subsided. When it did, he saw a familiar face.

"Holly?"

It was Holly, but not as Artemis had last seen her. She was younger, the same age she was when they had gotten married.

"Holly, look at you!" Artemis exclaimed joyously. "You're as beautiful as when we were married."

Holly grinned. "So are you."

They embraced each other tightly, and only then did Artemis take in his surroundings.

"This looks like my old room in Fowl Manor," he noted.

Holly had to agree. Then she had an idea. "Let's go see who's on the other side."

No sooner had she said that than the door opened.

"About time, Artemis," said a gruff voice that Artemis knew all too well. "We've been waiting forever."

 **(A/N: So, that's the end of Finding Again. I'd like to thank you all SO MUCH for your support and reviews, they truly meant a lot to me. I've never posted one of my works before, and the success of this one gave me inspiration to write more and post them.**

 **And I have a poll! The poll will be to decide my next story, whether you all want me to write about a sort of 'afterlife' where the gang gets back together, or a slightly AU on** _ **this**_ **story, where I start when the Fairies' existence is revealed and go mostly from Daniel's perspective, where he is incorporated into the story. If we go with that option, there will be Daniel/Lili [Liliel? Danli? You decide.].**

 **Once again, thank you for all your support, and until the next story, goodbye!)**


End file.
